Q: The director of the public library where I work has been saying informally that he thinks picture books with gay/lesbian/transgender characters belong in the adult section of the library. Because he hasn’t told me I …
Public Libraries
Cultural Inaccuracies in Books and Intellectual Freedom
Q: I’m unsure how to balance positive professional reviews with criticism elsewhere that points out stereotypes and cultural inaccuracies. It seems important to pay attention to those concerns, but also important not to limit access …
Balanced Collection
Q: I’m not sure what to do when I’m considering selecting a book that is clearly about something controversial. What does having a balanced collection mean? Do I need to always provide a book with …
Small Press Books
Q: How can I support the inclusion of small press books in the school library and curriculum when there are not professional reviews? We are making an effort to purchase more diverse materials, but the …
Respecting the Right to Challenge Materials
Q: Sometimes when I read about why someone complained about a book, I want to roll my eyes. Obviously, I won’t do this if I’m faced with a challenge, yet moving from understanding that someone …
LGBTQ Materials in Small Public Library
Q: I work in a small public library. I feel that I should be including books with gay, lesbian and transgender content in our collection, but I’m afraid of the possible repercussions. I’m not certain the …
Supporting a Colleague Facing a Challenge
Q: Recently there was a book challenge at the library in a neighboring community. I thought often about contacting the librarian in the middle of it all but didn’t know if it would be welcome. …
Should I Contact Author of a Challenged Book
Q: Recently, we had a challenge to a book, and a colleague suggested that I contact the author. I ended up running out of time and never did it, and the outcome was fine (the book …
Covering Words or Images (Expurgation)
Q: My principal and I had a great discussion about what to do when a book is challenged but when I mentioned that a parent might be upset if a book contains a swear word, …
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 …