Tag Archives: Booklist

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

2015 Frequently challenged books (Banned Book Week series #2)

banned-book-week
Celebrate Banned Books Week

This is always a difficult count to make, because what gets challenged and/or banned may not get mentioned in the media or reported to the ALA for inclusion. Libraries may be embarrassed at getting a book challenge, or uncertain of a procedure they could follow to respond in a professional way. Ideally, this is a time to connect with community members, to talk about intellectual freedom, and supporting a parent’s right to individual choice – not choice for all. Tomorrow we will talk about strategies for writing your policy to handle challenges; today we will look at some of the most challenged material, to start thinking about conversations to have both within the library with our colleagues and also with the communities we serve.

From the ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom:

Over this recent past decade, 5,099* challenges were reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom.

  • 1,577 challenges due to “sexually explicit” material;
  • 1,291 challenges due to “offensive language”;
  • 989 challenges due to materials deemed “unsuited to age group”;
  • 619 challenged due to “violence”‘ and
  • 361 challenges due to “homosexuality.”

Further, 274 materials were challenged due to “occult” or “Satanic” themes, an additional 291 were challenged due to their “religious viewpoint,” and 119 because they were “anti-family.”

Please note that the number of challenges and the number of reasons for those challenges do not match, because works are often challenged on more than one ground.

1,639 of these challenges were in school libraries; 1,811 were in classrooms; 1,217 took place in public libraries. There were 114 challenges to materials used in college classes; and 30 to academic libraries. There are isolated cases of challenges to library materials made available in or by prisons, special libraries, community groups, and students. The vast majority of challenges were initiated by parents (2,535), with patrons and administrators to follow (516 and 489 respectively).

From the OIF’s page for Banned Book Week, here is a list of the ten most frequently challenged books of 2015: (links go to GoodReads, for more information about the book itself; go the the OIF page for specifics of the challenges for each title)

  1. Looking for Alaska by John Green
  2. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
  3. I Am Jazz by  Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings
  4. Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin
  5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
  6. The Holy Bible (there are many different versions of this book; this is just one example)
  7. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
  8. Habibi by Craig Thompson
  9. Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan by  Jeanette Winter
  10. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

 

Thinking through your own strategies for responding to challenges, or in thinking about material that might be challenged, can be difficult. Know that there are resources available to help you as you write your library’s policy, and in handling challenges and collection development complexities. The ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom is available to help you with challenges. CMLE is available to help you with policy creation and strategies for working through your ideas for challenges and effective collection development.

General, Public, School Media Specialist

Hennepin County creates Black Lives Matter reading lists

Minneapolis_on_Mississippi_River
By Jdkoenig (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Events that took place in our state this past summer have contributed to a larger discussion of race and privilege in our communities. As we continue to work to promote racial understanding, community, and work through issues, a great resource to utilize is your library.

This article from the Star Tribune discusses how in July, in response to the police shooting of Philando Castile and the Black Lives Matter protests, the Hennepin County Library created two reading lists. One was aimed at teens, the other at children, with the goal of educating, encouraging empathy, and starting conversations about race matters.

The article also describes the important role of libraries throughout the country, specifically in times of crisis. During the violent protests in Ferguson, MO the library stayed open even though most organizations and schools were closed. They offered programs for children and students and promoted community unity. In Dallas, after the shooting deaths of five police officers, the library remained open and offered counselors to the public. For additional examples of the strength of libraries in times of unrest, see this article from American Libraries magazine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

General, Public, School Media Specialist

Booklist! 25 novels to help you escape

RhB_ABe_4-4_III_Kreisviadukt_BrusioThis is not an ordinary booklist! Instead, it’s a list of destinations you can choose to go when you begin reading. Whether you are looking for an engrossing summer read, or as the article suggests, looking for an escape from the ever-uglier election season, this list is one you should keep close!

On a personal note, I’ve enjoyed a few from the list, most recently Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. The contrast between the tech-savvy San Francisco setting of the story and the mysterious history of the bookstore make for a delightful read. Other favorites from the list include I Capture the Castle, Pride and Prejudice, and of course, The Princess Bride.

 

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/qdajnvs, licensed under CC BY 3.0
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Literature Map: Find more authors you like

ReadHmmmmm…..Literature Map is so incredibly easy to use, I am skeptical about how good it is. Suggested for folks who have exhausted their favorite author’s books, and want similar works by others. The Literature-Map is part of Gnod, the Global Network of Discovery. It is based on Gnooks, Gnod’s literature recommendation system. The more people like an author and another author, the closer together these two authors will move on the Literature-Map.

All you do is type the name of your favorite author in the search box, click on search and notice your author is in the middle of your screen. Watch other author names swirl around the screen a bit until some come to rest close to your author’s name. Supposedly, these authors offer similar fare. Try it out and let me know in the comments what you think. I would think your “avid reader” students would love this tool.

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/lw8nkjr, licensed under CC BY 2.0

 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

May "Library Reads" Booklist

library_reads_logo_websiteAre you familiar with Library Reads? Quite simply, LibraryReads is a process to involve public librarians in recommending adult books. Then, each month the top ten most loved published adult books are shared in a list for book lovers.

Hot off the press, LibraryReads shares the May 2016 booklist!

If you are interested in participating in the LibraryReads process of nominating titles, getting advanced copies of books, or voting,  see their FAQ page.