I was a school librarian for middle/high school. I was very selective of material and never ordered books recommended by salesmen or catalogs sent to me. I found good, clean sites, historically accurate material and classic literature. I retired early and my replacement, sadly, doesn't share my values. What used to be a common consensus among adults as to what was acceptable for kids, is no longer the norm.
Shelli: TY for doing a good job as a school librarian. Indeed, many (young) librarians today are political activists. I will discuss this more in Part 2.
John ==> "One reason is that the gatekeeper for what books go into a school library is typically one person: a librarian."
That is a definition of The Problem. School and Pubic Librarians have been turned into "anything goes activists" by the ALA. The ALA maintains that ONLY "The Librarian" should make decisions about what books should be shelved where in the library. and that ALL books, regardless of content, should be in the library and can be/should be shelved if children;s sections. The roof of this is the endless press releases about "banned books" in a nation in which there are exactly ZERO banned books.
In fact, the library belongs to the PUBLIC in a public library and to the Public in a Public School. It does not belong to The Librarian.
This is a fight for CONTROL and based on social mores. Librarians in the ALA are ultra-WOKE or on the outs. Somehow they MUST put up Banned Books displays every year. The fact that they can display "banned books" shows the lie.
John ==. I have saved your post as part of my research [research-buren?] for my eventual series on "Banned Books and the ALA" -- currently more than 150 references long....
There are so many good books and classics that parents should know...and buy for their children We had no money growing up, but my parents both were into reading and helped me select books at the library on a weekly basis. Parents should be aware of what is going on today...and make sure the wrong books are not getting into their children's hands.
The harms listed, and more, are precisely the reason these books are put into schools. John Dewey set out to destroy American education when he returned from Stalin's Potemkin Villages a century ago. His project is still going strong.
To the best of my ability, the download at this website includes every book with content concerns that ever reached a child. Over 7000 titles. WETHEPEOPLE2.US/INAPPROPRIATE-BOOKS-IN-SCHOOL
Thank you for sharing the work of the Pavement Education Project. Our team's efforts in North Carolina have assisted school boards and administrators in identifying harmful and inappropriate literature in their libraries, media centers and classrooms. The PEP team believes books and materials should foster a love of reading, academic success, and encourage critical thinking. Please reach out with questions or to join our team in your area. pepnc@protonmail.com.
I was a school librarian for middle/high school. I was very selective of material and never ordered books recommended by salesmen or catalogs sent to me. I found good, clean sites, historically accurate material and classic literature. I retired early and my replacement, sadly, doesn't share my values. What used to be a common consensus among adults as to what was acceptable for kids, is no longer the norm.
Shelli: TY for doing a good job as a school librarian. Indeed, many (young) librarians today are political activists. I will discuss this more in Part 2.
John ==> "One reason is that the gatekeeper for what books go into a school library is typically one person: a librarian."
That is a definition of The Problem. School and Pubic Librarians have been turned into "anything goes activists" by the ALA. The ALA maintains that ONLY "The Librarian" should make decisions about what books should be shelved where in the library. and that ALL books, regardless of content, should be in the library and can be/should be shelved if children;s sections. The roof of this is the endless press releases about "banned books" in a nation in which there are exactly ZERO banned books.
In fact, the library belongs to the PUBLIC in a public library and to the Public in a Public School. It does not belong to The Librarian.
This is a fight for CONTROL and based on social mores. Librarians in the ALA are ultra-WOKE or on the outs. Somehow they MUST put up Banned Books displays every year. The fact that they can display "banned books" shows the lie.
Kip: Very good point. I will have more about the ALA in Part 2...
John ==. I have saved your post as part of my research [research-buren?] for my eventual series on "Banned Books and the ALA" -- currently more than 150 references long....
Kip: TY. Glad I made the grade.
There are so many good books and classics that parents should know...and buy for their children We had no money growing up, but my parents both were into reading and helped me select books at the library on a weekly basis. Parents should be aware of what is going on today...and make sure the wrong books are not getting into their children's hands.
Barbara: Yes, there are many hundreds of excellent age-appropriate books for children.
The harms listed, and more, are precisely the reason these books are put into schools. John Dewey set out to destroy American education when he returned from Stalin's Potemkin Villages a century ago. His project is still going strong.
VS: The main culprit here is the American Library Association, not so much the education system.
To the best of my ability, the download at this website includes every book with content concerns that ever reached a child. Over 7000 titles. WETHEPEOPLE2.US/INAPPROPRIATE-BOOKS-IN-SCHOOL
Bruce: Thank you for that good source.
Thank you for sharing the work of the Pavement Education Project. Our team's efforts in North Carolina have assisted school boards and administrators in identifying harmful and inappropriate literature in their libraries, media centers and classrooms. The PEP team believes books and materials should foster a love of reading, academic success, and encourage critical thinking. Please reach out with questions or to join our team in your area. pepnc@protonmail.com.
Janet: Thank you. I fully support the good work done by PEP.