Between the Stacks

How would you feel if a total stranger had the authority to tell you what you could or could not read? This week the Library is recognizing the right of all Americans to read what they wish through “Banned Books Week”, September 25-October 1.

People are always surprised when they see which books have been banned and for what reason. The fact that the Bible, If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, and The Call of the Wild, by Jack London have all been banned shows a wide diversity in what people think are inappropriate reading materials.

When I was a young children’s librarian, a woman came up to my desk and slammed a book down in front of me demanding that this “horrible, child endangering” book be removed immediately!

When I turned the book over I was very surprised to discover it was Curious George Rides a Bike. She felt that disobedient little monkey should be thrown out of the collection immediately for improper bicycle safety. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and I take them all very seriously. To constructively deal with material challenge situations, the Library has a policy in place for patrons to express their views on books they do not feel are appropriate for the collection. It is a thoughtful and carefully considered policy which tries to be fair to everyone who uses the collection.

The Library staff considers collection development to be a key part of maintaining a library which has something for everyone. Book suggestions from patrons keep us up to date in all areas of publishing but there is an overall plan for formulating the collection according to the different groups who utilized the different types of items.

There are several areas of consideration when ordering a book: how high is the demand for the materials (best-selling authors), how much information does the library already have on the subject (non-fiction), how large is the book budget this year, what other types of media are popular and need purchased (DVDs, CDs, magazines, books on CD, etc.), and which popular items have worn out and need replaced.

Books are chosen through profession reviews, hands on examination, suggestions by patrons, and donations of materials the collection is lacking in. Books are also rejected for many of the same reasons as others are chosen; there are many books on the subject already, the author is no longer popular with children or adults, another new genre is rising so the “hot” subject matter has shifted to another topic, etc. Books are discarded due to physical condition, lack of use, dated information, and incorrect information (statistics are always changing).

The collection is a living and evolving part of the Library. If you have suggestions for something new let us know. Oh, and by the way, Curious George stayed in the collection.