Selection vs Censorship

   Reading about one of last summer's big news children's books today on Amazon, gave me reason to be glad I am no longer a children's librarian at work.  I will always be one at heart and I am the librarian in the family that gifts books for birthdays and Christmas and baby showers. The  discussion I read continues over Lane Smith's "It's a Book"  which ends with,  "It's a book, Jackass".
    As a parent and a children's librarian I am appalled at so called professional people who defend the use of spiteful name calling in the end of a book as a reason to celebrate it and push it on a group of unsuspecting young children.  Calling it a joke and not acknowledging that as bywords go - it will be repeated ad infinitum at other children, teachers and parents, regardless of whether or not they have long ears and a tail such as the character in the book, is humorously naive or deliberately subversive.  Inspiring masses of elementary age children to get smart with their elders and then say, the book said it,  should not be the mission of a children's book, its author (perhaps except for some self-published teenager), publisher,  or the librarians that are for whatever reason (like being kin to the author in their own language development) that are defending it on Amazon.com.
         Parents, teachers and librarians have a responsibility to "select" books that provide entertainment, education and yes positive role models.  There is not time for every book in this day and age.  There is not money enough either.  People with any common sense therefore would choose to prioritize those things that have value in order to provide the "best" possible choices for the young people in their trusted care.  Where in that goal is there room to buy smart alecness, snarkiness or hatefullness in a picture book targeted for elementary school children?  Well, truthfully, even if you have room and money to burn, there is no reason to accept that and call it art.  We have been told that we must, to be politically correct, politely use special not handicapped, gay and not queer and other variances on what is socially acceptible, but the same people who shoved that through the media are now telling us to celebrate and award children's books that use jackass, scrotum, and a variety of other unpleasant or downright vulgar expressions as intellectual freedom for the masses.  Those "librarians" they claim to be say they need to be exposed to that in their elementary school library because their parents should not sheild them from the real world.  Wait, a minute!  Shielding small children from the bad parts of the world is still the responsibility of grown ups.  Just because a lot of them are not doing it because they take their 3 year olds to R and X rated movies rather than find a baby sitter, does not mean your child or mine should be told to read that on his Accelerated Reader assignment at school.  Come on people, grow up and act like grown ups.  Selection requires that you choose to choose or not choose, not that you let intellectual freedom fanatics tell you what to choose.  Your intellectual freedom should not be shoved in my child's face at school or the public library. *Personal note, my kids are over 21 - and would laugh, but they will never see this book nor will any of my great nieces and nephews if I can help it.
   Tax dollars spent are a responsibility to spend wisely- - not an opportunity to anger your local public with the language or morals of least civil among us.  Bar language and jokes, belong at the bar, not in picture books for little children.

Road Trip to Philadelphia, home of the Declaration and Liberty Bell

   Set plans in motion this week to attend the Special Libraries Association conference in Philadelphia, PA this coming June.  I will be planning a road trip with my BFF - best friend forever, including before BFF was known.  Along with the opportunity for fun and fellowship, the journey will provide inspiration and opportunity for research on my book project which will focus on Ben Franklin and other founding fathers.
         Celebrating the historic places and people that made our country great in story and book form is my personal goal.  Helping a new generation to understand that this country was founded by people who recognized that our sovereignty was wrestled from Great Britain, only with Divine assistance, and will  continue only with God's approval, is part of a personal mission. 
         God gives us talents whatever they are.  Reading, writing, storytelling are among those things that help me share his Word with others.  I am not gifted with music or charm or lots of other ways that God's people share messages.  But whatever gifts He has given me, I hope to harness to sharing His story with others.  I feel blessed to be an American in this time and in this place.  I want to share that story in a way that helps others know that they too are blessed to live here and they have a responsibility to protect and preserve that blessing for generations to come.

Training and more training

Continuing Education
This past week I have attended the annual Common Core retraining at GRCC.  We have as Corrections employees a lot of specific issues to learn and re-emphasize for safety of ourselves and the inmate population as well as the public we serve and protect by maintaining safety in the institution.  Whether it is health issues that truly all who work in public places need to constantly be aware of to the specifics of dealing with manipulative inmates, each piece of information is necessary and should be taken seriously.
Many approach these classes with less than serious intent, just hoping to get it over with - in any profession.
Whether it is library conferences, security or health retraining, or medical retraining for those who tend to our lives in hospitals and emergency settings, we should all give the attention and care that the opportunity deserves.  One of the leaders in our programs said, that just like the hand washing and universal precautions, you do it so you do not take bad stuff home to your family.  It is not about just hearing it again.  It is about doing the best job possible.  If we did not need to retrain, then all those hot shot high school basketball players would not need to practice free throws after they land a college or pro team.  But practice is part of every day, and we should be prepared to practice doing things right as well.  Stay in shape to do the best job of your life, wherever you are in your career.

New books

First order of books for 2011 arrived this week.  Excitement from workers and patrons alike reminds librarian of the joy of shopping.  With lots of suggestions and a varied collection, lots to consider in building the next order.  What weight on the ones that ask all the time for James Patterson as opposed to all those others who want other stuff?  Selection is important, otherwise those with limited budgets would not have anything except James Patterson and Nora Roberts under one of her names or reprints.  It is not about what is on the shelf at Wal-Mart.  Even if the patrons ask for that---library is still a special collection of books to serve a particular audience - not a store selling, or goodwill giving away, but a place of service for the community.  Selection must have goal and purpose to be effective.  Selections matter.  Time to shop again.
YES!

Library Up introduction

   Library Up is a positive start to the new year.  Thinking constantly of how the library can be the UP force in the lives of people it serves is my first goal.  Library Up came from the expression Cowboy Up - which is older than the NIKE - Just Do It , meaning - let's get ready and do the job! 
    Libraries have always provided access to education and enlightenment.  Personal libraries,  and government - public or institutional - libraries have also included history to help us know where we have been to help us decide how to go forward.  Libraries for just plain entertainment are a truly new concept because for the most part before this century - no one had large amounts of time for pure entertainment. 
    One thing I would like to personally encourage all librarians I meet is to remember to BALANCE their collection.  Concept in college meant, balance expenditures for a variety of interests so your library was not only supporting current reader fads but providing overall access to variety of materials. 
   Balance should also be held in the views of positive and negative.  Too much current publishing - books, magazines, movies and more are negative -political rhetoric is sometimes hateful, horror fiction is often dark, demonic, bestsellers abound with murder and drugs and general mayhem.  Following trends on bestsellers, librarians could easily find themselves with negative collections.  Not a good thought.  Please check your selection plan for guidance and plan not to fall into a negative trap.  The responsibility of selection is a professional choice not a popularity contest.