|
|
Observed since 1982, the annual event is a reminder of the privilege to choose and express one’s opinion, even if the belief is considered unorthodox. The observance also stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. BBW is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, American Library Association (ALA), American Society of Journalists and Authors, Association of American Publishers and National Association of College Stores, and endorsed by the Center for the Book of the Library of Congress.
The argument surrounding the suitability of certain books is often motivated by a desire to protect children from perceived inappropriate sexual content or offensive language. While commendable, the challenges could ultimately result in depriving others from perusing the titles. When volumes are questioned, library directors and boards often refer to Free Access to Libraries for Minors, which states, "Librarians and governing bodies should maintain that parents, and only parents, have the right and the responsibility to restrict the access of their children, and only their children, to library resources."
While many of the books featured during BBW were the target of attempted bannings, most have not been removed due to the efforts of school and public librarians, teachers and concerned citizens to maintain them in their collections.
The question of appropriateness is an all-too-familiar one to the staff and board members of the Marple Public Library (MPL). Its book selection policy was contested earlier this year after Jack Whoriskey, a Glen Mills resident, was asked by his wife to check out a title on the Atkins diet. He found it in the "new book" section adjacent to several recently purchased volumes on sexual instruction. He showed a sample of the six titles, including "Sex Toys 101: A Playfully Uninhibited Guide," by Rachel Venning, and "The Joy of Gay Sex," by Dr. Charles Silverstein and Felice Picano, to the township commissioners, local clergy, organizations such as the Pro Life Coalition, state Sen. Ted Erickson, R-26, of Newtown, and state Rep. Tom Killion, R-168, of Middletown..
The books were a result of the "weeding" conducted each year in diverse categories, said library director Deborah Parsons. A portion of the $108,000 budgeted for book purchases in 2003 was earmarked to specifically target the sections on sexual instruction, computers and critical analysis of literature. New books were acquired after consulting the Library Journal and other professional publications which recommend volumes suitable for public libraries. The final purchasing decisions rested with the degreed librarians responsible for the fiction and non-fiction sections, she added.
Marple library, with more than 80,000 books and additional items in its adult and juvenile collections, serves as the public library for the township, an area resource center (ARC) for the Delaware County Library System (DCLS) and a participant in the ACCESS Pennsylvania program. The collection development policy, revised in 1999, states materials are selected by various criteria, such as purpose, subject matter, audience, timeliness and credibility of the author and/or publisher. Works are not excluded due to "frankness of expression, race, nationality, political, sexual orientation or religious views of the author."
The controversy, which raged for months in subsequent commissioners’ meetings and letters to the editors of local newspapers, ultimately resulted in a determination by the library board to move the titles from the shelves to the reference desk. In their new location, patrons wishing to review or check them out are required to request them from the librarian.
"The decision was made after the board listened to concerns expressed by township residents and worked within the guidelines of the library policy," said board President Marcy Abrams. "We felt it was a just and equitable solution."
The titles disputed at Marple library are not among the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books from 1990-2000 or 2003 (see graphic), but the motivation behind the questions was the same. According to the ALA Web site, the organization’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, which collects statistics from newspapers and reports submitted by individuals, recorded 6,364 challenges to compile the list from the previous decade. The most frequent concerns involved sexually explicit material (25 percent), offensive language (22 percent) and unsuited to age group (20 percent), with additional fears about themes of the occult or Satanism, violence, homosexuality or promoting a religious viewpoint.
Seventy-one percent of the challenges were to material in schools or school libraries, 25 percent to items in public libraries. Sixty percent of the requests were initiated by parents, 15 percent by patrons and 9 percent by administrators.
Eight of the 10 most frequently challenged books of 2003 also appeared on the list from the last decade. ("Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture," by Michael A. Bellesiles was published in 2000. "King and King," by Linda de Haan, a children’s book about a queen who insists the prince marry and take the throne, only to discover the search for a suitable mate does not result as expected, was printed in 2002. Works are often questioned on more than one ground and the new list follows trends similar to the 1990-2000 one. Books were questioned most frequently for sexual content (24 percent), offensive language (24 percent) and occult or Satanism, drugs or homosexuality (10 percent), with the remaining comments regarding unsuited to age group, inaccuracies, racism, violence and nudity.
A check of the online catalogue of the DCLS revealed each of the titles on the most recent list can be found on the shelves of the 26 libraries within the county system, with all but "Of Mice and Men," by John Steinbeck, housed in the children or young adult sections. The novella, which tells the story of George and Lennie, itinerant ranch hands who dream of one day owning a small farm, is frequently chosen as required reading for high school students.
The books speak to issues faced by youngsters and teens. "The Alice" series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, relates the issues of a typical tween -- self worth, prejudice, fears and the complexities of young love. "It’s Perfectly Normal," by Robie Harris, is subtitled "Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex and Sexual Health." "Bridge to Terabithia," a Newberry award-winning novel by Katherine Paterson, is the story of inseparable fifth-grade friends parted by a terrible tragedy. The book is included on many middle school reading lists and Amazon.com offers the companion title, "A Guide for Using Bridge to Terabithia in the Classroom."
The challenges are especially unnerving to award-winning children’s authors such as Judy Blume, who has penned "Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret," "Superfudge," "Blubber" and "Forever." Ranked number two on the list of the top 10 challenged authors from 1990 to the present, Blume will be celebrated this year with the Honorary National Book Award for her contributions to literature.
"(It’s) not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written, the books that will never be read, and all due to the fear of censorship," she is quoted as saying. "As always, young readers will be the real losers."
While no patron of the Springfield Public Library has chosen to complete the Materials Selection Complaint Procedure during Blossic’s 12 years as director, she and her counterparts throughout the county were well aware of the concerns expressed in Marple. Ironically, the issue resulted in a number of patrons in Springfield, Marple and other DCLS libraries encouraging the staffs to continue their fine job of presenting new books, suggesting authors similar to those enjoyed by readers and providing activities for children. They understand libraries are a shared resource and appreciate the freedom to browse the stacks and select books of their own choosing.
"A lot of people have come to us this year and said ‘keep doing what you are doing,’" said Blossic. "While some groups may feel very strongly about certain books, they maintain ‘you do not have the right to censor what I read.’"
- - n
For more information on the 23rd anniversary of Banned Books Week: Celebrate the Freedom to Read, contact the American Library Association/Office for Intellectual Freedom at (800) 545-2433, ext. 4220.
