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Q&A: When a Challenge Comes to Your Library
Q&A: When a Challenge Comes to Your Library
Edited by: Kate Jacobson Dutro
Conor Greaney, Teacher Librarian at West Linn High School, (West-Linn-Wilsonville School District), saw an unprecedented seven book challenges last school year. At the time, his district did not have a challenge policy for library books. Read on to find out how they handled it and kept all the books in their collection. For more background, check out this amazing student-written piece Reading Into Censorship.
How did the book challenges start last year in your district?
The book challenges began last winter, with individuals speaking during the public comment portion of board meetings about books in our libraries. In addition to the public comment, a printed list of books was presented to the board with the request that they be reviewed and/or removed from our school libraries.
How did the district handle not having a formal challenge policy?
The lack of a formal policy when these concerns about the books first arose meant that our district office staff put together a review process during the year. It also meant that the review process for almost all the books in question started directly at the top level (with a district reconsideration committee), bypassing the opportunity to try to find a solution for specific books between the librarians in schools and any concerned parents/guardians of students in those buildings. Now, there is a specific process for concerns about library materials that will be used moving forward.
Which books were reviewed by the committee?
Heartstopper volumes 1 & 2, by Alice Oseman
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, by Jesse Andrews
Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, by Susan Kuklin
Milk and Honey and The Sun and Her Flowers, by Rupi Kaur
Lawn Boy, by Jonathan Evison
Flamer, by Mike Curato
Crank, by Ellen Hopkins
Can you share the structure of the committee and a little about the work process to get through all these reviews?
The committee was made up of two school librarians, a teacher, two of our district administrators, a parent (with children in the district) with concerns about the book, a parent (with children in the district) in support of the book, a community member familiar with library materials, and a high school student. Everyone on the committee was expected to read each book in its entirety and to judge the work as a whole. We had four meetings, each two weeks apart, where we would discuss and vote on 2-3 of the texts. The goal was to balance the need for time to thoroughly read the books and the desire to make it through the reconsideration process relatively quickly. Carefully reading the books and preparing for the meetings in such close succession made for an intense couple of months.
What was the result of the committee's review?
Ultimately, all the books remained in our schools, though Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and Crank were restricted to the high school level only.
What, if any, processes now exist in your district for challenges?
We now have a much more robust and specific process in place for materials challenges. There are a couple of notable features: First, there is a clear emphasis on the importance of attempting to resolve a concern by working in partnership with a school’s librarian and administration to find a solution that works for a particular family. Second, it is specified that a reconsideration committee is not a standing committee and can only be convened once during a school or calendar year (in recognition of how much time and effort it takes to run a thoughtful and thorough reconsideration process). And finally, there is a formal assurance that best practices will be followed when a concern about a material arises, such as a clear directive that texts being reconsidered are to remain in circulation while a review is being conducted.
RESOURCE: COMPLAINT ABOUT A BOOK
How did this affect you and the other librarians within your district? Did you notice any impact on your students?
It was incredibly stressful and at times frustrating to hear some of the things that were said about our library program from people who had never taken the time to talk with me or any of the librarians in our district. At the same time, there were a lot of things that happened that were positive: The OLA Intellectual Freedom Committee, Miranda Doyle, Marie Felgentrager, and others in the librarian community generously shared resources and advice to help us navigate this process with integrity. Our district administrators were eager to collaborate with our librarian team and gained a greater understanding of the work that we do. And many students were interested in learning about what was going on and advocated for their right to intellectual freedom. Ultimately, our students’ response was a great reminder that the work we do matters and has a direct impact on the young adults in our school communities.
I’m also trying to be mindful this year about how this experience could impact the decisions that I’m making now. What I am most worried about moving forward is “self-censorship”—are the collection development decisions that I’m making now impacted by this experience in the past, and how can I make sure that I am providing my students with the diverse, high-quality library collection that they deserve? And, on a more positive note, I’m thinking a lot this year about how to connect my community more effectively with our school library. There are so many amazing things that happen in our library every day, and I want people to know about these things!
What advice would you share with other schools based on your experience?
Do whatever you can realistically do in your situation to be prepared for a book challenge ahead of time: If this means writing or updating a policy, do that; if you’re somewhere where that is not an option, maybe you can have conversations with key decision makers in your district so that they understand you have a careful material selection process that you use and would like to be involved if a reconsideration process needs to be put together.
And, for the things you are not prepared for, there is a strong network of librarians who are ready to support you. If you find yourself in a challenging situation, I highly recommend reaching out to the Oregon Intellectual Freedom Committee, the OASL Intellectual Freedom Advocate, or librarians who have been in similar situations to get some help.
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