Q: I’m not clear what you provide if I contact you at the time of a materials concern. What will happen if I reach out to you for assistance?
The CCBC’s Intellectual Freedom Information Services provides Wisconsin librarians and teachers working through a materials concern or challenge with information that we hope can be used by the librarian, teacher, and/or local decision-makers who are charged with responding to the situation, which may include making a decision about providing access to the material in question.
When you email or call the CCBC, we’ll begin by getting information from you about what’s happening, including the title or titles that have been questioned, the context of the situation (e.g., is it a public library, a school library, a classroom?), and the questions or concerns that have been raised about the material in question.
We’ll talk to you about things to consider regarding as the library or district addresses the concern, such as the importance of following your institution’s board-approved policies and related procedures for responding to a concern about library or classroom materials, the importance of communication, and the importance of being prepared for questions coming from outside the library or school. We’ll make some suggestions of questions you can ask administrators if you’re concerned about how the process is being handled, and resources you can share with them.
After the call, we will work on putting together a packet of professional assessment information about the title or titles in question. The information we provide will include reviews from professional library and education journals, as well as information on whether the book or books have won any awards or been named to any best-of-the-year or other recommended lists in the library and education fields (including our own annual best-of-the-year list, CCBC Choices). We also typically include articles that offer professional perspectives on the area of concern. We do not take a position on the situation and make sure to include all professional reviews and professional perspectives we can find on the book, whether positive, neutral or negative, to help local decision-makers.
Like all library reference services, any request we receive for information is confidential.