Week 14 Prompt

Forming my thoughts for this prompt proved to be difficult for me, mostly because I was not sure how to align my personal beliefs with the ethics of librarianship. I know that the difficulty I originally felt is a good thing because it made me think outside the box. I read the articles, *re-read* the articles...and read them again! I read excerpts from them to friends (including a librarian friend) and co-workers. From this, I received different opinions and insights. This issue really has really stuck with me this week as I have been reading more about it, because I know there may come a time that I have to shelve my ethics for the ethics of librarianship. Honestly, the articles that were provided to us in this Prompt regarding the LGBTQ materials being shelved in a separate location in the Orange City, IA personally rubbed me the wrong way. A flier regarding this issue written by a local pastor referred to homosexuality as "depraved, detestable, and an abomination." But one of the residents, self-proclaimed Christian Kurt Korver, was quoted as saying, "The people of this town are not censors or homophobes, just simply caring residents." One of these things is not like the other... It is hard to buy into Korver's explanation when a fellow Christian is saying otherwise.  Because of these statements, the petition of these books being shelved elsewhere seems like a witch hunt. Judging by the comments on the articles, others felt the same way. Also, the ALA is clearly pro-LGBTQ inclusion in libraries, judging by a quick search of their site that pulled up 15,000+ articles and mentions- all of which were positive and for inclusion just on the first few pages of hits that I read.

LGBTQ materials should be shelved within the rest of the collection. A justifiable reason to separate them is to use them for a display- perhaps commemorating Pride (these activities -marches, festivals- generally take place in/around June). Displaying these materials would be akin to displaying any others for occurrences such as Black History Month or Women's History Month.  (The ALA dedicates a part of their site recommending this at http://www.ala.org/rt/glbtrt/glbt-book-month)

1) The library is all-inclusive for a community; for absolutely everyone. To shelve certain materials in their own section because it makes certain groups uncomfortable is not a fair practice, because where does that end? Any subject matter that makes anyone uncomfortable would have to be separated from the collection if the library were to operate that way.

2) The example used in the case of the Orange City, IA library was the book Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress, which is about a little boy who likes to wear a tangerine-colored dress to school and his classmates don't understand. Regardless of how it personally affects you, issues like this one are happening in society. To hide them, or to not add them to the collection at all, is showing these children that they are "too different" or worse, invisible. (The ALA has a list of books and programs from a list titled, Serving ALL Families in Your Library: Inclusive Library Collections and Programs for LGBTQ Families & Children found here: http://www.ala.org/alsc/sites/ala.org.alsc/files/content/2016Institute/Serving%20ALL%20Families%20in%20Your%20Library%20Inclusive%20Library%20Collections%20and%20Programs%20for%20LGBTQ%20Families%20%26%20Children.pdf)

3) Children, who are the focus of the issue in Iowa, deserve to see themselves portrayed in the media. An article from the website www.pen.org titled Missing From the Shelf: Book Challenges and Lack of Diversity in Children's Literature speaks of the importance of children seeing themselves and also, seeing the world as it is. "Access to diverse books is not just important for children of color, of course. For all children, a crucial part of education is learning about differences, learning to value other cultures, histories, and experiences, and understanding the breadth of experiences that comprise both our own society in the U.S. and the wider world. Education can also help children to see truths about society. A book collection that misrepresents the world children see around them presents a skewed view of the world and does children a disservice. For children being raised in a majority minority nation and in an increasingly globalized world, navigating diversity will be an essential life skill." (From the Shelf 14)

Pen.org. (2016, August 31). Missing From the Shelf: Book Challenges and Lack of Diversity in Children's Literature. Retrieved from: https://pen.org/sites/default/files/PEN_childrens_lit_report_FINAL_online.pdf