Selection and Censorship of Children's Lit - 2008

[Judi Moreillon]

Dear Children's Lit for a Diverse Society Group,
Next week, school and public librarian graduate students from the University of Arizona will be posting questions and thoughts related to selection and censorship of children's lit in school libraries.

My goal (as their professor) is for them to broaden their understanding of the issues by hearing from and communicating with people in the field.

I hope you are willing to share your expertise.

Best,
Judi

[Chris Ruiz]

Trish, That’s a good question. I think it helps if the school librarian knows the child and feels comfortable in offering such material with guidance from the teacher. My son was infatuated with the Titanic (non-fiction), Legend of Sleepy Hollow & Goosebumps in 2nd grade and the school librarian had no problem, but they also knew me as a parent. Librarians do have power by offering something similar, but safe. I’m not sure it’s censorship as much as good judgment and satisfying the student’s need. In the public library setting, I always do a quick interview first plus I’m familiar with the collection. I’ve never had a parent complain about my choice of books for their child.