Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What does your position as a PUBLIC LIBRARIAN have to do with smut being pushed via school reading lists?
I fail to see the connection between public schools pushing the smut and you managing the card catalogue. Now if you created the reading lists, i'd have a problem with you. But you don't. And no one is trying to keep YOU from ordering a book. That's not the topic at hand. So again, tell me, what exactly is your role in this?
I don't manage a card catalog, in fact we don't even have those anymore... LOL. But I have worked in school libraries, not to mention our county doesn't even HAVE school libraries anymore (due to budget cuts). So we're literally their only source for free books, and while I don't create the lists, I do assist them in finding what they need. So far I haven't seen anything inappropriate, so I find it hard to believe these are typical recommendations. Besides, I don't see anyone else in the library profession chiming in, so it looks like I'm the closest thing to an expert here - and all librarians understand these issues, whether they work in public or academic settings. We're constantly defending our book selections too, so it's a debate I'm all too familiar with now.
P.S. Maja included public libraries in her original post, in case you missed it... she later back-peddled, but I'm going to respond when my profession is being challenged. In case you did miss it, here's what she said: "I doubt that many parents realize what is being pushed on their children in the guise of "literature" in our local bookstores, public libraries and even in our schools." How exactly does a bookstore or public library PUSH anything on anyone? Still waiting to hear an answer on that!
Well, why don't you actually read the book, and get back to us.
Don't hold your breath... that would actually require critical thinking and a time commitment, but these people just prefer to link articles from hysterical (and usually biased/opinion-based) websites.
Location: Currently I physically reside on the 3rd planet from the sun
2,220 posts, read 1,877,427 times
Reputation: 886
Quote:
Originally Posted by gizmo980
Arsenic = chemical poison which WILL harm your body.
Gay-themed books = literature which some people will hate, some people will love, and which others don't care about either way. If I find such material appropriate and safe for MY child, who are you to call me wrong?
Frankly, I don't think it is any of my business what you teach your children. I'm not in any way trying to insinuate it is or call you wrong for what you teach your children.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gizmo980
When I had a student (while working at a school library) who was struggling to accept his homosexuality,
Here you state you were working in a school library. You also project your interpretation of a students predicament as "struggling to accept his homosexuality".
Quote:
Originally Posted by gizmo980
Btw, I'm in charge of ordering ALL of the teen books for our library
Here you state you are in charge of ordering books for a library, I feel it a fair assumption that you are ordering books for a school library.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gizmo980
My values are clearly different, but apparently you think yours are the only ones that matter - talk about sanctimonious.
Why do people read? I would say pleasure, entertainment and education are probably common reasons. A school library servicing teens means children as young as 13 years old, not your child, other peoples children whom you are supplying the reading material for.
So you want to peddle sexually deviant behavior to other peoples children as young as 13 years old as pleasure, entertainment and education, hence my comment about your sanctimonious attitude. I stand by my comment - I'm not trying to use a public institution to peddle sexually deviant behavior to your child, you are using your position within a public institution to peddle this trash to others children which depending upon where you are may include my children.
Hmmmm, peddling sexual anything to children as young as 13 smacks to me of pedophilia. Yet, the gay community vehemently denies any connection to the community of pedohphiles. If that is true get your bedrooms and sexual agendas out of our childrens schools.
Frankly, I don't think it is any of my business what you teach your children. I'm not in any way trying to insinuate it is or call you wrong for what you teach your children.
Then why would you deny them the opportunity to read these books? If their parents say it's okay, how is it fair to keep them from library collections?
Quote:
Here you state you were working in a school library. You also project your interpretation of a students predicament as "struggling to accept his homosexuality".
Here you state you are in charge of ordering books for a library, I feel it a fair assumption that you are ordering books for a school library.
Two different jobs, so your assumptions are wrong. I worked in a school library last year, but only as the after-school supervisor... the daytime librarian did all of the book ordering, although she did occasionally ask me for suggestions (as she didn't even have an MLIS). But my suggestions for her were quite mundane, usually graphic novel series and academic-type subjects. And for those who don't know, "graphic novel" is another word for a comic book - LOL.
Most of my career has been spent in the public field, and I've only ever done book orders for public libraries... but my specialty is young adult services, so I'm usually called upon to do the YA ordering. I love doing that, as they're usually my favorite books to read! Adult books are sooooo boring sometimes, hehe.
I won't bother responding to the rest of your post, since you were addressing me about something I don't do.
I looked both books up on Amazon and they have hundreds of comments, 4-5 stars, and from reading through the first couple pages of comments nobody mentions the "lesbian,sex,gay,orgy" stuff.
I'm not upset about this in the least. I never censored anything for my kids, they self censored and if a topic made them uncomfortable they wouldn't read/watch it. It's amazing what kids are capable of when you don't treat them like idiots.
I strongly oppose the push for and noramalization of 'gay' culture in our public schools.
I understand what you are saying. But what I think is that once something is "normalized" it's no longer an issuse at all. That's the place we need to get to. It's the getting there that's the problem.
I looked both books up on Amazon and they have hundreds of comments, 4-5 stars, and from reading through the first couple pages of comments nobody mentions the "lesbian,sex,gay,orgy" stuff.
I'm not upset about this in the least. I never censored anything for my kids, they self censored and if a topic made them uncomfortable they wouldn't read/watch it. It's amazing what kids are capable of when you don't treat them like idiots.
Amen to that! You sound like an excellent parent... my parents didn't censor us either (my mother's actually a librarian too), and we all turned out pretty good.
"Sprigg called on parents across the nation to pay close attention to what their children are being encouraged to read."
“To a large extent the educational community and the library community have come under the control of very radical liberal ideology with regard to sexuality and they view anything that might remotely be called censorship as the ultimate evil,” Sprigg said. “Exposing children to graphic sexual content – that is not as evil as censorship in the minds of some left-wing activists.”
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
