Q: I am a librarian in a small, rural school district in a conservative community. We have two school libraries: one is K-5 and the other is 6-12. In the high school library some eighth …
What IF … Forum
What IF is a question-and-answer forum for teachers, school and public librarians and others in the library and education fields. We all have questions about intellectual freedom and challenges to materials. The What IF forum is a place to turn to ask these questions before a challenge occurs, and to help think through what the principles of intellectual freedom look like in practice.
Ask us a What IF question: ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu
How Much Weight Should I Give Individual Scenes/Elements When Selecting Novels for the Curriculum?
Q: I’m a middle school teacher working as part of a group to select novels for the curriculum. Some of us are struggling with books we love that are strong overall but that have individual scenes …
What If My Administrator Says to Remove Book?
Q: I’m studying to be a school librarian. I’m concerned about what I should do if my administrator tells me to remove a book because it is stirring up controversy and we have a policy …
Library Doesn’t Have Policy on Gifts to Collection
Q: I’ve seen the issue of gifts to a library mentioned in a couple of the responses in this forum, and you’ve indicated that it’s important to follow whatever a library’s policy says about accepting gifts …
Could I Lose my Job Because of a Challenge?
Q: I’m studying to become a school librarian. In one of my classes, we’ve been learning about materials selection, challenges, and the Library Bill of Rights. Is it possible that I could lose my job someday …
How Can I Avoid Selecting “Wrong” or Controversial Books?
Q: I’m worried about selecting the “wrong” book for my school library–one that someone might find controversial and result in a challenge. How can I avoid doing this? We know that challenges are scary to contemplate. …
Defusing a Confrontational Situation
Q: Can you provide some tips on how to defuse a confrontational situation with someone who has a concern about materials in a library or classroom? First, take a deep breath. Extend a hand to …
How Can I Avoid Complaints about Books I Teach?
Q: I’m a new teacher. What can I do to avoid complaints about the books I teach? Because we never know what book might be upsetting to someone, it’s all but impossible to avoid complaints …
Where Can I Find Out about Banned Books Week?
Q: I’m a high school librarian. My principal just asked me to talk about Banned Books week at our next high school faculty meeting. Where can I get information on such short notice? The Banned Books …
Am I Censoring if I Return a Book I Ordered after Seeing It?
Q: I ordered a book for my school library and when I received it and saw it firsthand, I determined that the content was too mature for our book collection, so I didn’t add it. …