Know Before You Go

This is a great description of how libraries must grow and change with the culture of society. Libraries must stay updated and relevant in their materials; otherwise, they are of no use to their patrons. The book this was taken from was written in 1931. Even then, the author knew that we have to stay informed and in touch with society and the culture around us, undergoing many different phases to serve our users, or we will become useless. "...takes in new matter, casts off old matter,..." This process is necessary for libraries to keep their collections up to date and caught up with what is going on in the world, regardless of whether we, as librarians, agree with those things morally or politically. What is unethical is the librarian or others in the community only allowing certain materials on the shelves that align with their own beliefs and morals. It is my duty as a distributor of knowledge, organizer of materials, and curator of resources to provide the students with all viewpoints and perspectives from our diverse world so that they are better equipped to handle situations when they leave my building and go out on their own. I cannot force my beliefs and opinions upon them. They must learn to think on their own.  All I can do is guide them, teach them, nurture them, and hope that they will become productive and good humans. Parents can parent their own children as long as they see fit, deciding on the materials that their own child can and cannot read. However, it is not a parent or political group's right to try to govern or censor what other children in a school or community should be allowed to read on their own. I try to provide materials that all teens would like to read, with characters of all different races and gender preferences in a variety of genres. Even though I may not individually agree with some of the lifestyles of fictional characters, I know that it could be the saving grace for so many of my students. I do not force any type of material upon any of my students. I advertise all types of books equally and celebrate all types of holidays and monthly celebrations in my library, from Black History Month to Women's History Month to Hispanic Heritage Week and more. I want them to know about all types of people, lifestyles, and situations and become diverse, culturally sound humans. Equity and diversity representation are also a part of my job as a librarian. I can't force agendas or stereotypes upon my students. No one should be able to do so. A student's beliefs are between themselves and their family. 

A Concerned Librarian