“Librarians, too, are gatekeepers -- not of actual experience, of course, but of its written accounts. My job is to safeguard those accounts. Not to judge them; simply to see to their proper dissemination.”― Martha Cooley, The Archivist
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| image source gawkerassets.com |
IMHO, the main job of a Teacher-librarian is to provide information to the school community. Multi-modal texts for multiple types of people... something for everyone. We don't censor, we don't ban. I am very lucky to work with another librarian who feels the same way and, to date, we have not received a single complaint from our parents.
Keith Gray, the editor of Losing it, author of Ostrich Boys and more, gave a wonderful talk at the State Library of Victoria's 2013 Reading Matters Conference about gatekeepers, censorship and the implications involved. Unfortunately, I wasn't there, but my husband was and he was so moved by the talk and retold the views so passionately that it changed the way we both viewed our library's collection. So I asked Dr. Google if he had any information about Keith Gray and censorship and I came across a keynote he delivered the previous year on the subject. (Keith Gray's Keynote). Everyone who acts as gatekeeper for the literature of others should read his speech.
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| Keith Gray YA Author image source: pen.org |
"I’ve always believed reading is about opening your mind, about learning empathy, about looking at the world from stranger’s point of view. All notions I believe should be front and centre when writing for young people. So am I really claiming certain books get banned or censored because they make young people think too much? Are we scared they’ll not think the way we want them to if they read the wrong book? Do we not trust young people who can think for themselves? I mean, it’s one hell of a conspiracy theory…" - Keith Gray (2012).
Late last term we hosted Wear It Purple day, a day that celebrates sexuality and gender diverse young people. Getting ready for the day I had searched the library catalogue for books tagged with the subjects sexuality, homosexuality and all the other words that make up LGBTI. I was disappointed about what I found, or indeed didn't find. We had the big authors who tackle the issue like David Levithian and John Green but our collection lacked the full rainbow of gender diversity. I set about searching for books to fill those gaps, and my book display came together nicely. Most of the books have been borrowed several times as a result... I was one satisfied Librarian #fistpump.
I am left to wonder, however, what about the kids at schools with overtly protective gatekeepers? Schools that separate collections into year levels based on content and not level? What gates are being closed to kids that need them open? Surely my book display touting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual and Intersex protagonists would have caused a stir. Admittedly we have a pretty progressive parent community - plenty of facebook likes and positive comments on our post about wearing purple, and we haven't had any issues yet. We find that kids just won't read things they are not ready for. They may start a book and if it's too much for them they'll stop. They self censor to a degree. I'm not saying we've gone out and bought 'adult' novels, no Fifty Shades on our shelves, but if a book is written for young adults with themes that effect young adults who are we to say 'no' because it makes us feel uncomfortable. When I say 'us' I mean the ubiquitous 'them' really as it takes a lot to make me squirm when talking about teen issues.
I guess all I really want to say is... if you ever find yourself saying to a student "No, I don't think that book is right for you" or "You're too young", just step back and think about the gate you may be closing. What is the worst thing that could happen? For me it's the thought that by creating a barrier between a child and book I might effect their reading patterns in the future, they may chose safe and unchallenging materials because the gatekeepers deem them 'suitable' maybe stunting their emotional growth.
- References
- Gray, Keith. (2012, September 20). Censorship Today. Keynote presented at Open Book Festival, Cape Town. Retrieved from http://www.edinburghworldwritersconference.org/censorship-today/keith-gray-censorship-today/
