When a Good Deed Meets Bad Press | American Libraries Magazine

When a Good Deed Meets Bad Press | American Libraries Magazine

Reconsideration Recovery

Last week, the local newspaper ran a story about a reconsideration request at my library. The only problem with the article was that at least nine pertinent pieces of information were left out of the story. The result? At least a few citizens thought the library was "censoring" books and "banning" them from teens after my library board voted to recatalog a book that had previously been cataloged as "young adult fiction" to "adult nonfiction." No matter that the book, The Notebook Girls, had previously been miscataloged (the book is actually nonfiction) or that many libraries already have this title as adult nonfiction, or that the book has powerful information for adults, or that anyone with a library card can check out any materials from anywhere in my library.

The American Library Association picked up the story--linked it (with no explanation) on their weekly "American Libraries Direct" update. I contacted ALA, who was quite responsive and wrote a follow-up as this week's "Inside Scoop" story. Thank you, Beverly Goldberg!

See the link to ALA's "the rest of the story" at this link:

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/inside-scoop/when-good-deed-meets-bad-press

"The Rest of the Story"

I always liked Paul Harvey. He had a way of filling in the missing pieces of a topic everyone assumed they already knew. While I'm no Paul Harvey, I do want to share "the rest of the story" with anyone who may have recently seen an article that appeared in the Des Moines Register concerning a reconsideration (challenge) for The Notebook Girls at the Waukee Public Library.

The following facts were not included in the Register's report:

--The name of the complainant is obviously omitted from every Register report because the Waukee Public Library is vehemently committed to the protection of patron privacy;

--The complainant wanted the Library to completely remove the book from the collection (to censor it);

--The Library and the Board refused to succumb to the complainant’s request of censorship because the Library and the Board are committed to intellectual freedom and will deny any requests for censorship;

--This book was originally mis-cataloged as fiction when it is actually nonfiction;

--Many public libraries with this book in their holdings already have the title classified in the adult nonfiction section;

--Libraries routinely re-catalog materials when they realize errors or believe the book is more accessible to a wider audience by putting the item in a different area of the library;

--Library materials at the Waukee Public Library are available to any patron with a valid library card regardless of age of patron or classification of material (meaning, anyone can check out this book at any time);

--The adult and teen sections of the Waukee Public Library are located directly next to each other in an open floor plan;

----School Library Journal recommends this book for “adult/high school” audiences;

--This book was noted by VOYA (Voices of Youth Advocates) as an “adult-marketed” book recommended for teens;

--The book contains ample information that is useful for parents/educators;

--Teens will readily check out books in the adult section, whereas adults are often reluctant to check out materials from the teen section—and thus, the reclassification makes the book more accessible to more readers;

--OCLC recommends the book as nonfiction;

--The library now owns two copies of the book (thanks, in part, to this reconsideration request);

--Members of the reconsideration committee actually read and reviewed the book (unlike the Register's staff);

--Members of the reconsideration committee spent a combined total time of approximately one week reviewing the book and other documents pertaining to a reconsideration (such as the library’s policies and professional reviews).

The Waukee Public Library and its Board are obviously committed to intellectual freedom, freedom to access of information, and patron privacy based upon the library’s current policies regarding mission, purpose, collection development, and freedom to read. Once all the facts are known, it is obvious that the recent decision was not a form of censorship or book banning; it was a way to ensure that the book is accurately cataloged and in a location where it can be accessed by the most readers.

To see the Des Moines Register's story, go to this link:

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20101013/NEWS/10130367/-1/LIFE04/Waukee-library-board-votes-to-reclassify-teen-book

To see an article published by the American Observer that notes the fact that while libraries will re-catalog items, such an action is not censorship, go to this link:
http://inews6.americanobserver.net/articles/banned-books-week-shines-spotlight-censorship