A Quandary - Tumblr Posts
I need more information.
allofthefeelings is absolutely correct that circulation stats alone should not determine if a book is weeded or not and we as librarians need to be on guard against our own biases and make sure we are serving the community. But Cincoflex raises some very good questions that I would very much like to hear the answers to before we leap to condemn.
Speaking from my own experience I fully believe there are books we need to have on the self regardless of the popularity. That is why I bought “Jacob’s New Dress” even knowing that in my conservative community this book is going to get far less checkouts then say Curious George.
I have also weeded out kids books about the politics, history and culture of African countries, and a biography of a well known black athlete. A quick glance at this seems terrible. But the book about South Africa, when you looked at it closely, said that Nelson Mandela was still in jail. And I bought a newer book about South Africa. Another book I discarded focused on the end of apartheid, was written within a year of apartheid ending and took a very skeptical view that enough was being done or that it would last. While this might make an interesting look at the feelings and context of the time, it was no longer relevant for a children’s public library.
The biography I discarded? O J Simpson: Rookie of the Year. I have not purchased any newer biographies of Mr. Simpson, but I have purchased biographies of other black athletes.
Is this librarian silencing black voices? It is entirely possible and certainly should be looked into. But I believe that we need to have all the facts before we rush to judge someone who may just be doing their job.
Who needs to burn books when you can just throw them out?
Edit: Why am I tagging Jumblr? Because if part of your Jewish identity is valuing learning and literacy, and making both accessible to the general public, this should sicken and terrify you.