ALA again touts banned books

 The ALA is The American Library Association. LJ (Library Journal) is its publication. It's one of the many professional and non-profit organizations on the left that drum up support by claiming the USA is racist and corrupt and only their members can save it. ALA is right up there with ACLU and George Soros' Open Society. Once a year ALA does a Banned Books week/month (I've forgotten) in the fall, but now with all the trans and LGBT hoopla, it's expanded to Winter. No books are ever banned by a public library except by their own staff in the back room, even if parents parade and riot, they wouldn't do it. Plus there are many ways to get books in this country--just ask a drag queen, for instance, or even local churches sponsor pride events. I picked up a card game at Marc's this morning and put it back when I saw it was promoting rainbow LGBT values on the box cover. It's not like it's a hidden topic. It's 2% of the population getting 30% of the news, art, school curriculum, movies, fashion and advertising/graphics for packaging and selling everything from tooth paste to dog food.

What does happen at the library is something like this: a tax paying parent or other adult may ask why such a book or subscription has been purchased when Christian books are excluded. Or why when a pornographic title is taking up shelf space is patron's favorite hobby considered too esoteric or little used for purchase. The one title most consistently "banned" is the Bible.

Complaining is not banning. Asking for proportion or fairness is not banning. Advocating for children not to be abused with surgery or hormones is not banning information. Requesting that U.S. history not be defamed and ridiculed is not racial discrimination. And right-wing activists have the same rights as the Green-go climate activists, the BLM supporters, and the remove the borders advocates. They pay taxes too.

"Brooklyn Public Library’s Nick Higgins, Amy Mikel, Karen Keys, Jackson Gomes, and Leigh Hurwitz have been named LJ’s 2023 Librarians of the Year for their work on Books Unbanned, providing free ebook access to teens and young adults nationwide to help defy rising book challenges across the country. In 2022 Brooklyn Public Library’s Books Unbanned Team began providing free ebook access to teens and young adults nationwide, defying rising book challenges across the count. In the past year, book challenges became part of the national discourse. Efforts to censor what materials U.S. kids, teens, and young adults can access—primarily content about race and LGBTQIA+ issues—are increasing, often in the places those resources are needed most. From January to August 2022, the American Library Association (ALA) logged 681 attempts to ban or restrict access to 1,651 unique titles—the highest number of challenges since ALA began tracking them. From July 2021 to June 2022, the freedom of expression nonprofit PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans listed 2,532 instances of individual books being banned, affecting 1,648 titles. It has become increasingly clear to many that these censorship efforts go beyond complaints from individual concerned parents. Libraries and classrooms have become the targets of coordinated political campaigns frequently led and/or funded by right-wing activists. As a large and well-resourced institution in the relatively liberal jurisdiction of New York City, Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is well positioned to ensure access to the full range of books it deems valuable for its community of readers. The library also provides free digital cards to New York State residents, and previously offered out-of-state cards for a fee. But several staff members, as well as President and CEO Linda E. Johnson, felt that BPL could—and should—do more for those beyond the borough’s borders.” (Library Journal, Jan. 3, 2023)

How to lie with statistics. 2022 showed a 23% decease in Black characters in children's "best sellers." Duh. Look what happened in 2020. All the publishers (that's the key--it's money) and all the librarians (they can make or break a publisher's decision) rushed to stock up on titles with black face/black characters, no matter the quality of illustration or writing style. After the media began running other stories (like hate Trump, or Covid), the choices dropped as did demand. So by 2022, the unusually high number had dropped.

Here's another one: Only 12.12% of children’s books are about black or African characters. Hmm. 18.7% of the population are Hispanic/Latino. Black is between 12% and 14% depending on how mixed race is counted. White is between 60-70%, depending on how mixed race is counted. Also only about 7.64% of children's books have black authors; so that means white authors are incorporating more black characters. White authors of children's books write about all topics, but black authors write over 91% about back characters, Is that good or racist? (Wordsrated. com Mar. 22, 2022).

Not much has changed in 40 years at the American Library Association

Here’s a title from a 1972 article in Library Journal.  I can’t post a link, because although librarians are all about freedom to read, this journal doesn’t post its archives on the internet. Just add topics like gay marriage (which in 1972 couldn’t have been imagined), or Planned Parenthood or the Iraq War and Bush’s fault and you’d have the same concerns  today as libraries close because librarians try to fight the various liberal causes.

Berninghausen, D. 1972. “Social responsibility vs. The Library Bill of Rights.” Library Journal 97 (November 15): 3675-82.

Basic points of this article from comments by “Contrarian”  at Annoyed Librarian blog: http://annoyedlibrarian.blogspot.com/2007/06/ala-debate-on-non-library-issues.html

David Berninghausen, former Director of the Library School at the University of Minnesota, wrote an interesting essay in 1972 (or 1973) called “Social Responsibility vs. The Library Bill of Rights”. It provides some historical context and perspective. Not all his predictions have come true, but much of what he said resonates to this day. Here is an excerpt:

"The raison d’etre of the ALA is NOT any of the following:

1. To eradicate racial injustice & inequities & to promote human brotherhood.

2. To stop the pollution of air, earth, & sea.

3. To build a UN capable of preventing all wars.

4. To promote the homosexual life-style.

5. To advocate the lowering of the voting age to 18.

6. To preserve the separation of church & state.

7. To destroy-or to establish-universities.

8. To judge the guilt or innocence, based on news reports, of Charles Manson, Angela Davis, or the Berrigan brothers on the charges brought against them in the courts.

9. To resolve hundreds of other social, scientific, or political issues, regardless of how vital they may be for the future of humanity.

Attempts to make this library organization into a political organization for the promotion of specific causes unrelated to librarianship could destroy the viability of the ALA. They have already weakened it…unless the attention, time, energy, and resources of the ALA can be refocused upon library problems, the organization cannot and will not survive…"

This article became part of his book, "The Flight from Reason: Essays on Intellectual Freedom in the Academy, the Press, & the Library."

Why are librarians' salaries so low?

From my blog 5 years ago, March 2006.

There are people needing promotion and tenure to study this, but here's my take. Librarians have no organization to represent their own interests. Oh, they have lots of organizations--out the wazoo--but just look at the names: American Library Association; Medical Library Association; Association of College and Research Libraries; California Library Association. Do you know what my husband's professional organization is called? The American Institute of Architects. Get it? It is representing ARCHITECTS. People, not government entities or buildings. And although I'm sure it leans left like most professional organizations, I haven't heard that the AIA is trying to get President Bush impeached while they redesign cities in Mississippi as service projects.

"Librarians and library workers are under-valued, and most people, whether members of the public, elected officials, faculty, corporate executives, or citizen board members, have little or no idea of the complexity of the work we do." from California Library Association web site.

In my opinion, this inclusion of “library workers” in all attempts to get the professional, degreed salaried librarians paid a fair wage worthy of a master's or higher degree is part of the problem. “Library workers” may have high school degrees or they may have PhDs in Victorian Poetry or Trombone Performance, but they are not degreed librarians. This may explain why people (even librarians) believe the degree isn’t important, and so the salaries can stay low. Anybody can do it, right? Just ask the ALA (which spins its wheels in political, i.e. federal and state, battles).

But, then, it's not my battle anymore--or even theirs. Librarianship is going the way of the buggy whip manufacturer. A few with special crafting skills are still needed, but it's not a career or profession anyone should reach for.

New photo for ALA's banned book week (BBW)

Eventually, when the noise dies down about the May 1 killing of Osama bin Laden, and leftists and anarchists in ALA get some composure, maybe they could use this photo in their next BBW poster?

Banned books are not banned at all, so it is a big hoax--maybe to draw people to the American Library Association site, or to make librarians look good, protecting your freedoms. Frankly, I complained about the children's librarian reading aloud "Little Black Sambo" at UAPL when my children were little back in the 1970s. Wouldn't you? According to library stats, a complaint equals a ban. Everything from Huckleberry Finn to Harry Potter are on the ALA's list--and when was the last time you couldn't get them from a public library? And just try to get the "young adult" title about a transgendered werewolf 12 year old who murders her/his step mother because she turned down oral sex. It won't happen--i.e., it won't be removed from the shelf. But it might make the list!

Banned Books Week doesn't roll around until the fall, but stay alert. I'm sure they will have resurrected OBL by then, and the U.S. will be the worst of the worst for taking out this murderer, not just of Americans, but of thousands of Muslims also.

Of course, not buying Christian or Conservative titles is definitely NOT BANNING. I've been told that, too. It just means not many people want to read them. Just remember this tip. Banning begins with the book budget, not with your complaints.

Young, hip librarians taking over the field

So, maybe you hadn't heard that rumor--that librarianship was young and hip. Well, I had, since I follow these things, although not as closely as I used to. You can tell by the cover of Library Journal.

Even so, Pearl has a large following and writes terrific book reviews and appears on NPR.

ALA Banned Books Week Hoax

I just browsed through a very attractive on-line display of banned books at a college library website--NCSU--based on the ALA hoax. Yes, BBW, Banned books week is a hoax. You can get these books anywhere. What the ALA banned lie really means is someone complained about a book--it wasn't banned or burned. No American author in the USA was threatened--that's for Europe and the Middle East. We have the right to complain, too. We pay for our public libraries--should we be thrilled with every selection? Can we say, "Why so many Martha Stewart?" What about poor quality binding or illustrations? Is that OK to complain about? Or price? Or disrespect toward a race, gender or religion? Or new books on the occult outnumbering new titles for a religion a bit more common in the neighborhood, for instance, Christianity?

I complained about "Little Black Sambo" being read aloud to children (1970s) during story hour. Was told it was harmless. What about the not-selected, not-purchased books? After looking over the shelves, and finding more on the Amish than on Lutherans, I left a note that our Public Library's newest book on Lutherans was 40 years old. Then I sent a suggestion with author, title and ISBN. They bought it. Woot! One. And we may have the largest Lutheran church in Ohio in our community. If you complain or suggest, it's often "no demand" or "no money." Especially for conservative titles. So then it's off to the book store. Fewer requests are made; fewer people vote to pass tax increases to support libraries.

ALA | Banned Books Week

No dog in this fight

"To hear librarians tell it, video games are high-church, intellectual endeavors. Today, nearly 2,000 libraries across America will host National Gaming Day, a massive video game tournament and celebration." Daniel J. Flynn

The library as amusement park

"Only those who haven’t checked out a book in the new millennium would be surprised that the public library is now making video games available. The image of the urban public library as a citadel of culture and quietude shielding patrons from the noisy, dumbed-down, digital world outside has taken a hit in recent years. Anyone who has logged significant time at the library has noticed an environment at odds with what Andrew Carnegie had in mind when he bankrolled the construction of 2,811 libraries—roughly 1,000 more institutions than will be participating in National Gaming Day on Saturday. It’s not uncommon to see Internet porn on library computer consoles, and for those not satiated by simply looking, library bathrooms have become popular rendezvous points. Most conspicuously, the library has been transformed into an unofficial homeless shelter during those daytime hours when the official homeless shelter shuts its doors. Libraries have become comfortable hosting many activities unrelated to the life of the mind."

Fried Librarian Giblets Awakens ALA Council to Take On Yet Another Non-Library Issue

I got a chuckle out of the title of this blog--Fried librarian giblets. I wonder if ALA will look into the San Francisco Happy Meal melt down? The ALA spends so much time on non-library issues. I suppose that's a sign that everything is super duper OK in library land. Salaries are up; bond issues aren't failing; and the political balance is improving.

SafeLibraries: Fried Librarian Giblets Awakens ALA Council to Take On Yet Another Non-Library Issue

And you think I'm harsh?

Annoyed Librarian has a word for new graduates hunting for those elusive shortages they heard about when they signed on for more college debt. Don't blame the boomers for not retiring.

Since I have been drawing attention to this issue for a couple of years, I feel comfortable pointing out some uncomfortable truths to complaining job seekers. The most uncomfortable truth is that nobody owes you a job. If you went to library school because you were told jobs were plentiful, then you were duped. That's too bad, but it wasn't the libraries that aren't hiring you now that duped you. Library schools benefited from your tuition. The ALA probably benefited from some dues money. Libraries seem to benefit by not having to pay much because there are plenty of suckers lined up to take sucky jobs. You're the only one that didn't benefit. Three out of four's not bad.

Actually, it's probably not a good idea to believe anything you hear about shortages--nurses, lawyers, cruise directors, computer programmers--because those come from the press releases of college recruiting offices, and they have an obligation to fill the classrooms. What I remember from the days I was on search committee duty is that there were usually one or possibly two really outstanding candidates in a pile of 25 resumes, and by the time we'd work our way through our own red tape and diversity rules, someone else had snatched them. There really are excellent jobs and excellent candidates, and somehow, they often find each other. Matthew says he knows of good jobs in Florida (I think); he's also single, a devout Roman Catholic and has been a nurse. Someone ought to snatch him up.

3910

The use of scare quotation marks

Annoyed Librarian is commenting on the use of scare quotes by the American Library Association (ALA).

"So it's not a debate on non-library issues, but "non-library" issues. I've noticed ALA always likes to use the scare quotes to poison the well on any debate before it even starts." Check it out. The comments alone are well worth the visit--just in case you thought librarians sit around selecting books to put on the shelves.

3890

What do socially responsible librarians talk about?

Certainly not libraries.

Darfur
Rachel Carson
Hunger, homelessness and poverty
Global warming
feminism
gay, lesbian, transexual, bisexual issues
Katherine de la Pena McCook lifetime award (you'd have to be there)
flogging books by their members, like Library Juice
fixing media bias (on the right)
Pastor's [sic] for Peace
alternative media
free speech buffet

And you thought all librarians did was read while wearing sensible shoes, shushing and unjamming the printer!

3741

Short Librarians?

In 1966 I finished "library school" (master's degree program) at the University of Illinois. I didn't have to look for a job because I'd worked in the Slavic Languages department of the library both as an undergrad and a graduate student. Those were the cold war years--today someone with a slavic specialty might have to do something else. Those who entered library work in 1965 were told in a conference with Dean Downs at the University of Illinois there was a shortage and a great future. Those who entered in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and today are told the same thing. We were all pretty much told the same thing--the librarians of the 30s and 40s were retiring--technology was changing the face of the profession. Yet, every year library schools closed limiting regional choices. There is no shortage of librarians. There might be a shortage of students to sit in the classroom or dial in for on-line courses and pay the salaries of professors and deans in the library schools that are left, but there is no shortage. There may be a shortage of librarians willing to work for $25,000 a year after years in graduate school and huge school debt, but there is no shortage of highly qualified people with masters degrees willing to design systems, manage libraries, supervise paraprofessional staff, work with decent budgets, and publish in the professional journals. The big lie. Don't let our Congress build another bridge to nowhere.

3377 Even I was shocked by this

Recently, someone left a comment at one of my critiques of the direction of public libraries saying I wasn't a very good researcher [i.e. what liberals and humanists say when you don't cite their favorite pundits or sources]. But Tomeboy always digs deep and finds things I wouldn't even notice--like his analysis of the American Library Association's bibliography on homeschooling. I've been critical of ALA (I've never been a member), but even I was shocked. It's a fine report as always, Mr. Tomeboy.

In 2002 Midwinter in New Orleans, ALA's Association for Library Service for Children voted to establish a Home School Task Force to;

...investigate what action or activities, if any, ALSC needs to take to meet the needs of children's librarians serving home-schooled children and their families....

The product of this resolution? An exhaustive bibliography comprising of one internet resource, two books and two articles. The latter four published in the last century. Need I mention the breadth and timeliness of ALA's Task Force on the Environment page?

A middle school student probably couldn't get away with this! I'm almost afraid to check the Environment bibliography. I've seen homeschooling reports and resources at my public library, although for its size and focus on other topics (movies, cookbooks and scrapbooking) probably not as good as it could be based on local interest. Although this might explain why my PL's science fair reference shelf for children is so out of date (by 20-25 years in some cases).

Tomeboy speculates on why ALA would do such a poor job for an important topic. Might it be that about 70% of homeschoolers are evangelical Christians and ALA is hostile to religion?

homeschooling
libraries
bibliographies
American Library Association

2605 American Library Association is in NOLA

As I've commented here numerous times, my profession (i.e., I'm retired) is more liberal than the ACLU or Hollywood movie stars who testify before Congress on topics from oceans to apples. Statistically, it is 223:1 liberal to conservative, based on a survey done during the 2004 election. So, the fact that we've got a librarian in the White House, and the current Administration has been quite generous in its support of libraries and museums, means zip, nada, zilch--her name is BUSH. Shush has cut and pasted from a library listserv (probably a no-no) into his website (scroll down a little since the entries aren't clickable), and Matthew from Florida has responded to their silly whining.

Mark Rosenzweig, ALA Councilor at large, appears to be just a flaming Communist/ Anarchist based on the stuff he's published--and his post here is mild compared to some I've seen. He really needs to live in Cuba, except they jail librarians there and he knows it. Michael McGrorty, a left coaster, is an outstanding writer to whom I link for that reason, but he's so off base here (speakers like Mrs. Bush are brought in to incite the membership? Wow--what's he smoking?). Unbelievable stupidity is demonstrated in these clips for people with advanced college degrees who can't imagine why there is so much security--given their own level of hatred, she probably needs protection from raging librarians!

And from my alma mater, the U. of I. comes this undergraduate pout from Al Kagan, who is a Professor: "First of all, I would like to know who invited her [bangs his shoe on the table]. Second, I want to know if there will plenty of opportunity for questions from the floor [grabs the microphone screaming]. If there will not be questions from the floor, we should vigorously protest [give me a piece of posterboard and a marks-alot]." Here's another one from a blog: "Laura Bush will be speaking at the American Library Conference on Monday June 26. Though I usually stay for the entire conference I will leave the conference early. Below are a few reasons why. I don’t want to be back-drop for a photo-op."

Get a grip, you guys. Show some manners, since you are showing your lack of reasoning. You want everyone else to be liberal and open minded, but you can't even tolerate the smartest and prettiest First Lady we've ever had? [She earned a bachelor of science degree in education from Southern Methodist University in 1968. She taught in public schools in Dallas and Houston. In 1973, she earned a master of library science degree from the University of Texas and worked as a public school librarian until her marriage in 1977. She also won the cookie vote against Mrs. Kerry (who said she'd never worked) in the 2004 election.]

If there were no ALA tomorrow is my entry on why I think ALA is such a waste of time, energy and money (disclaimer: I was never a member).

Michelle Malkin picked up on Greg's (Shush) blog entry about ALA and Mrs. Bush.

American Library Association
Laura Bush