I have two books that students have been requesting lately -- Twilight and A Child Named It. Usually, when I get a title that is frequently requested, I add that title to my purchasing list. It really helps students have ownership in their LMC if they also have some input into what is purchased for it. In the case of these two books, however, my answer has been, "No, I don't have that title. You will have to either get it from the public library or wait until middle school to check that out."
I worry about that answer. The rebel reader part of me remembers sneaking into the Junior Fiction section of the public library because I was tired of the books in the Children's Room, and so I tend to buy series that are popular and not pay a lot of attention to the recommended age groups. The manager of public funds part of me, however, is very aware of my responsibility to the taxpayers (i.e. parents) that entrust the selection of the books to me. It is my job to get kids interested in reading, but does that mean reading anything? I do have to consider literary quality and appropriate language and topics when I select materials, and I do have to work with a limited amount of funds.
This is a dilemma that I think all school librarians face. I do my best to be as liberal as I possibly can, but I cannot simply buy anything and everything. Am I being a censor by not purchasing these? I don't think so. I have read them both and would recommend them to students who are middle school or older. If parents get them for their younger students, I have no issue with that, so I am not (I think) trying to promote my personal beliefs. As much as it goes against my nature, sometimes, I guess, the answer to a request is, "No."
No comments:
Post a Comment