Life in Pictures

The month of February has been pretty eventful thus far....

At the beginning of the month, I visited John King Books on Lafayette Boulevard with fellow librarian and friend, Jeanette.

 It was my very first visit. A pilgrimage of sorts. I bought a few books -- one of which The Fight for America by Joseph McCarthy which is a fabulous addition to my intellectual freedom collection.

My last post focused on the need for multicultural literature -- February is African American history month. As you can surmise, this month's YA display features African American literature and historical materials. I created this graphic:

Here are some various pictures from work:

While working on weeding the YA collection, I discovered
this awesome note inside Or Give Me Death by Ann Rinaldi
when checking its circulation

My doll, Verity, joins the staff at CADL

And a couple of pictures of my coworkers and I:

On Monday, I toured Loutit District Library in Grand Haven, Michigan. I'll be uploading pictures and some notes from my visit in the near future.

Kicked to the Ditch

This morning, I renewed my membership to the American Library Association for the first time as a professional and not as a student. It was certainly a bittersweet moment which left my checking account a bit lighter...

What you are about to read is nothing new in the Michigan LIS-world -- a common complaint, which now I can officially join the ranks. With my ALA membership, two divisions (PLA and YALSA), and round table renewal, my overall cost was less than renewing my entire membership with the Michigan Library Association.

Setting cost aside and just browsing the conference notes from colleagues, I have come to the unfortunate conclusion that the Michigan Library Association is geared more towards larger suburban and urban public libraries than smaller, rural libraries.

Newsflash? No...

Taking a gander at statistics compiled from the public library survey (2012), almost 60% of Michigan's public libraries are on the smaller end of the spectrum: Class 1 - 3. Am I missing something? Or is MLA?

At $170.00 for an unaffiliated individual membership (meaning that my employing institution is not a member and I am not getting a discount), I damn well want my State organization to at least acknowledge the existence of small, rural libraries and subsequently offer workshops/seminars that are relevant.

Kicked to the curb. Hold on...  

It's so rural where I live that we don't even have curbs. 
How about this: kicked to the ditch.

With my savings, I opted to join the Freedom to Read Foundation -- a cause near and dear to my heart -- and will likely attend a few workshops hosted by the Historical Society of Michigan.

I wonder if they will miss me... Doubtful.

Source
Library of Michigan. (2012). Michigan public library survey statistics. Retrieved from
http://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan/0,2351,7-160-18668_61707---,00.html


Author's Note: I've considered trying to be part of the solution by collaborating with area libraries in order to develop a conference presentation which will target small, rural libraries; however, it seems that MLA membership is pretty sparse in this region... Thoughts: Lack of interest? Or do they feel as though they haven't been adequately represented?

A Chapter Closes: A Reflective Essay

LIS 6010: LIS Leader Paper on Everett Thomson Moore

Since beginning my studies in the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) in the spring of 2010, I have experienced much growth and development as an information professional. Through my tenure as a MLIS candidate, I have mastered the competencies as outlined in the program’s ten learning outcomes and found selecting just three to elaborate upon considerably challenging; therefore, the three outcomes in which I selected, to demonstrate my proficiency, are very near and dear to my heart as well as align with my studies of concentration, public libraries and services to children and young adults. They are as follows: “[to] articulate the importance and value of the profession and its basic ethics such as intellectual freedom, information access and dissemination and apply these concepts to the advancement of the profession”, “[to] recognize the value of professional ethics, teaching, service, research, and continuing education to the advancement of the profession”, and “[to] develop and apply current management and leadership theories and practices” (SLIS, 2012). At the close of this essay, I will share my philosophy of the information profession as well as my aspirations for the future.

The School of Library and Information Science facilitated growing my understanding of “…the importance and value of the profession and its basic ethics such as intellectual freedom, information access and dissemination…” (SLIS, 2012) by way of the course, Introduction to the Information Profession (LIS 6010). Via several readings for the course, mainly those by Lingo (2003), Preer (2008), and Robbins (2007), I was formally introduced to the topic of intellectual freedom and learned about the many dangers censorship can pose to the free and unrestricted access to information which is of central importance in the information profession – a topic that has inspired a deep passion. I found the Code of Ethics and the Library Bill of Rights by the American Library Association (ALA) moving and enlightening – particularly the following statements:

We provide the highest level of service to all library users through appropriate and usefully organized resources; equitable service policies; equitable access; and accurate, unbiased, and courteous responses to all requests (Code of Ethics, 2008). We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources (Code of Ethics, 2008). Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation (Library Bill of Rights, 1996). Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment (Library Bill of Rights, 1996). Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas (Library Bill of Rights, 1996).

In fact, it was the above readings which inspired me to choose Everett Thomson Moore, a fighter for intellectual freedom, as my library leader – an assignment for LIS 6010. Through my research of Moore’s professional life, I learned about the banning of books in American public libraries, the firing and ostracization of librarians due to challenges to library materials, the chilling effects of McCarthyism during the Cold War, and the development of the Freedom to Read Foundation as well as the Office of Intellectual Freedom.

Another assignment in LIS 6010 required visits to two libraries for comparison and analysis, for added depth I selected two rural libraries (Class 2 and 3) and a larger suburban institution which serves as the main branch of a Class 6 library system. Among the list of questions I prepared to ask the directors, I inquired about the community’s reception of Harry Potter and Twilight as well as if the library had experienced a challenge or banned any library materials. I found the experience to be incredibly enlightening as I was able to see, firsthand, the difference in philosophies between the directors pertaining to access to information and intellectual freedom, collection development policies, as well as the varied dynamics of the communities.

“[To] recognize the value of professional ethics, teaching, service, research, and continuing education to the advancement of the profession” (SLIS, 2012) is the second learning outcome in which I’ve mastered proficiency in and believe is invaluable to the field of library and information science. It is via research, that practitioners are able to gain insight into potentially problematic areas in the field and adapt findings discovered by researchers in order to implement change at their institutions. While much of the published research in the field of library and information science focuses on academic libraries, I hope to someday complete a study that focuses on public libraries.

Reading for LIS 7340: Collection Development

Through my experiences and readings in Introduction to the Information Profession (LIS 6010) as well as Collection Development and Selection of Materials (LIS 7340), I felt compelled to develop a research proposal for the course Research in Library and Information Science (LIS 7996) which would focus on the topic of intellectual freedom and censorship. Being interested in small and rural libraries, selecting whom to study presented little challenge to me. Libraries that serve smaller populations, deemed Class 1 – 3 institutions, make up almost 60% of Michigan's public libraries yet in order to receive state aid they are not required to hire directors with a MLIS degree and out of the directors serving at these institutions only 23.7% actually hold professional credentials in librarianship (Library of Michigan, 2012). While conducting the literature review for my research proposal, I learned via studies conducted by Curry (1997) and Pooley (2008) that even directors holding professional credentials have identified themselves as having little or no training in dealing with censorship and intellectual freedom issues – yet the consequences of poorly handling a challenge could result in damaged relations with the community, termination of employment, and even the possibility of a lawsuit. While the ALA has set forth the Code of Ethics which seeks to give guidance on the topic of censorship and intellectual freedom, Fiske (1959) identified in her study that many selectors are actually practicing forms of self-censorship when making collection development decisions. Thus the goal of my proposed study sought to explore the state of collection development policies and practices as well as training pertaining to intellectual freedom and censorship in Class 1 – 3 public libraries in Michigan. My proposed study has the potential to provide the field of library and information science insight into developing training efforts to bridge any identified gaps in the knowledgebase and comfort level of its practitioners.

The eighth guiding principle of the ALA’s Code of Ethics states, “We strive for excellence in the profession by maintaining and enhancing our own knowledge and skills, by encouraging the professional development of co-workers, and by fostering the aspirations of potential members of the profession” (para. 5). By way of conducting library visits for Introduction to the Information Profession (LIS 6010), reference observations for Access to Information (LIS 6120), and additional visits for Survey and Analysis of Literature for Children Preschool to Grade 3 (LIS 6510), Young Adult Literature (LIS 6530), as well as Programming and Services for Children and Young Adults (LIS 7250), it became abundantly apparent to me that librarians in which I encountered truly support the notion of “fostering aspirations of potential members of the profession” (ALA, 2012). With each visit in which I conducted, several assignments required multiple observations, I was warmly welcomed by staff, invited behind-the-scenes, and not only left the building with a plethora of information, but felt completely inspired by my experiences. Thanks to these visits, I have developed professional relationships with several area library directors whom have acted as mentors throughout my MLIS candidacy.

Suzanne Todd

The third and final learning outcome in which I have mastered proficiency in is, “[to] develop and apply current management and leadership theories and practices” (SLIS, 2012). I should start off by defining the difference between management and leadership: “The manager’s job is to plan, organize and coordinate. The leader’s job is to inspire and motivate” (The Wall Street Journal). While I have learned immensely from all of my classes, I have a special appreciation for the courses that were taught by two adjunct instructors who were actively practicing librarianship in the field – Beth Walker (College for Creative Studies) and Suzanne Todd (Eastpointe Memorial Library). It was these instructors, regardless of the particular course being taken, who shared front line stories which provided more insight and reality than any carefully concocted case study that could likely be found in a management textbook.

One assignment in Library Administration and Management (LIS 7040) required the class to read an article, What’s My Motivation? (Rogers, 1976), that provided a scenario which is all too common in today’s libraries: budget cuts and staff lay-offs. In the case study, a very vocal staff member spoke up at a meeting and essentially asked the question, “What’s my motivation?” In her lecture, Walker provided an example in which an employee proclaimed that she, being Beth Walker (the supervisor), was responsible for motivating her. Walker’s reply was along the lines of, “She is not responsible for motivating the individual person, but for creating an environment that is conducive to motivation.” My own thoughts on the case study which touches upon both management and leadership techniques:

I felt as though the Library Director, Mary Lawless, was incredibly reactive rather than proactive during the transition process. While I understand that each person has their individual differences and personality which in turn gives different perspectives, Mosca’s reaction demonstrated that she did not understand the organization’s interim goal: the library operating rather than shutting off the lights and closing the doors. If Lawless had spent a little time laying some foundation work with her staff, such as clearly explaining the organization’s financial crunch, developing a game plan for the additional responsibilities, consistently employing recognition and positive reinforcement with her management-style, perhaps the Mosca-situation might not have occurred because the “unknown” would have already been answered. “Fear of the unknown” is how I chalk up Mosca’s behavior behind her interruption.

What is an LIS professional? What are the characteristics, qualities and knowledge that will be most important to you as an LIS professional? To answer the first question, I must cite Preer (2008), who in her book, Library Ethics, cited Melvil Dewey:

The time was when a library was very like a museum, and the librarian was a mouser in musty books, and visitors looked with curious eyes at ancient tomes and manuscripts. The time is when the library is a school, and the librarian is in the highest sense a teacher, and the visitor is a reader among the books as a workman among his tools. Will any man deny to the high calling of such a librarianship the title of profession? (p. 9).

While the ALA Code of Ethics and the Library Bill of Rights are certainly a part of my philosophy, the five laws of library of science developed by Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan in 1931, also play a significant role in shaping my professional paradigm. The five laws are as follows: 1) Books are for use. 2) Books are for all. 3) Every book its reader. 4) Save the time of the reader. 5) The library is a growing organism (Haycock & Sheldon, 2008). In other words (and in the context of a modern public library and my own interpretation), the library and its many resources are for the public to use and the whole package needs to be easily accessible – the building, staff, and of course, the collection. The materials selected for the library should reflect the entire community in which the library is charged with serving – not just the frequent donor or the loquacious patron. Each reader has his/her own preferences and tastes; therefore, it is imperative that the library’s staff abstain from judging as well as be cognizant as to which formats are preferred by the community. In addition to having helpful, approachable, and knowledgeable library staff, saving the time of the reader also entails keeping the collection organized, easily accessible, and refreshed. And, finally, in order for the public library to survive, it must be viewed as a growing organism – changing and evolving to meet the needs of the community – otherwise it will become irrelevant and subsequently extinct.

Another statement which has profoundly affected my professional paradigm is one that I encountered while enrolled in Introduction to the Information Profession (LIS 6010). In her book, Library Ethics, Preer (2008) quoted the esteemed Lester Asheim:

Selection, then, begins with a presumption in favor of liberty of thought; censorship, with a presumption in favor of thought control. Selection’s approach to the book is positive, seeking its values in the book as a book, and in the book as a whole. Censorship’s approach is negative, seeking vulnerable characteristics wherever they can be found – anywhere within the book, or even outside it. Selection seeks to protect the right of the reader to reader; censorship seeks to protect – not the right – but the reader from himself from the fancied effects of his reading. The selector has faith in the intelligence of the reader; the censor has faith only in his own (p. 79).

I am truly grateful for the professional relationships which have developed through the course of my studies. While I have aspirations of directing a rural public library and conducting research in the public library arena, I also feel compelled to give back to the field which has been both warm and welcoming to me as a new professional; therefore, I am very passionate about the notion of teaching as an adjunct instructor at Wayne State University as well as hosting practicum students in the future. In closing, as an information professional, I pledge to uphold both the Library Bill of Rights and the Code of Ethics as set forth by the American Library Association.

References
American Library Association. (2006). Code of Ethics. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/proethics/codeofethics/codeethics

American Library Association. (1996). Library Bill of Rights. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill

Curry, A. (1997). The limits of tolerance: Censorship and intellectual freedom in public libraries. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.

Fiske, M. (1959). Book selection and censorship: A study of school and public libraries in California. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Haycock, K., Sheldon, B. (2008). The portable MLIS: Insights from the experts. Westport, CT:
Libraries Unlimited.

Library of Michigan. (2012). Michigan public library survey statistics. Retrieved from
http://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan/0,2351,7-160-18668_61707---,00.html

Lingo, M. (2003). Forbidden fruit: The banning of the Grapes of Wrath in the Kern County Free
Library. Libraries & Culture, 38(4), 351-377.

Pooley, A., Birdi, B. (2008). How ethical are we? Public Library Journal, 23(1), 12-15.

Preer, J. (2008). Library ethics. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Robbins, L.S. (1994, Fall). Anti-communism, racism, and censorship in the McCarthy era: The case of Ruth W. Brown and Bartlesville Public Library. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 35(4), 331-334.

Rogers, M. (1976). What’s my motivation? Library Journal, 134(10), 52-53.

Walker, B. (2011, April). What’s my motivation: Case study. Retrieved from http://blackboard.wayne.edu

Wall Street Journal. (2012). What is the difference between management and leadership?
Retrieved from http://guides.wsj.com/management/developing-a-leadership-style/what-is-the-difference-between-management-and-leadership

Wayne State University – School of Library and Information Science. (2012). Mission and goals.
Retrieved from http://slis.wayne.edu/about/mission.php

Road Trip: Miniature Book Exhibit

On 12.10.2012, Janet and I took a road trip to the Library of Michigan in Lansing to check out the miniature book exhibit put on by the Miniature Book Society. Naturally, we took some time to browse the stacks...our beloved Z class. Here's a few photos from our visit:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Two hours ago, I finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It's been on my radar for awhile now, but I just haven't had the freedom to make much progress on my list of books for pleasure reading as of late.

With the likes of Megan Cox Gurdon and her infamous article about the dangers of contemporary YA fiction, it should come as no surprise that The Perks of Being a Wallflower landed itself among the top ten on ALA's Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books list for the 2000-2009 decade. (Read an earlier post I wrote about Gurdon's article.)

Sherman Alexie, author of the YA novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, said in an article for WSJ titled, Why the Best Kids Books Are Written in Blood:

Does Mrs. Gurdon honestly believe that a sexually explicit YA novel might somehow traumatize a teen mother? Does she believe that a YA novel about murder and rape will somehow shock a teenager whose life has been damaged by murder and rape? Does she believe a dystopian novel will frighten a kid who already lives in hell?

In which Gurdon responded with the following in her second article on the subject:

No, I don't. I also don't believe that the vast majority of American teenagers live in anything like hell. Adolescence can be a turbulent time, but it doesn't last forever and often—leaving aside the saddest cases—it feels more dramatic at the time than it will in retrospect. It is surely worth our taking into account whether we do young people a disservice by seeming to endorse the worst that life has to offer.

Fall of 1999

My own thoughts? I don't believe that by publishing "edgy" fiction for young adults that adults or society is "endors[ing] the worst that life has to offer." In the case of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Charlie experiences a range of events in which I personally encountered while in high school including the suicide of a classmate and dating violence.

I loved the book and found it to be powerful, perspicacious, and moving. In fact, I wish I would've read it back when it was first published in 1999 as it would've given me much comfort during such a tumultuous time in my life. (The crazy part: Back in the day, I likely shelved it many times while working as a Page at Oxford Public Library.) I believe that YA has the power to save hence my support of the YA Saves Project.

My favorite passage:

"And we could all sit around and wonder and feel bad about each other and blame a lot of people for what they did or didn't do or what they didn't know. I don't know. I guess there could always be someone to blame. Maybe if my grandfather didn't hit her, my mom wouldn't be so quiet. And maybe she wouldn't have married my dad because he doesn't hit her. And maybe I would never have been born, so I don't know what to say about it all especially since my mom seems happy with her life, and I don't know what else there is to want.

It's like if I blamed my aunt Helen, I would have to blame her dad for hitting her and the friend of the family that fooled around with her when she was little. And the person that fooled around with him. And God for not stopping all this and things that are much worse. And I did do that for a while, but then I just couldn't anyone. Because it wasn't going anywhere. Because it wasn't the point.

I'm not the way I am because of what I dreamt and remembered about my aunt Helen. That's what I figured out when things got quiet. And I think that's very important to know. It made things feel clear and together. Don't get me wrong. I know what happened was important. And I need to remember it....So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them" (pp 210-211).

Favorite quotes:

"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite."

"And I guess I realized at that moment that I really did love her. Because there was nothing to gain, and that didn't matter."

"I think the idea is that every person has to live for his or her own life and then make the choice to share it with other people. Maybe that is what makes people 'participate.'"

"I am both happy and sad at the same time, and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."

"I just want you to know that you’re very special… and the only reason I’m telling you is that I don’t know if anyone else ever has."

"I just hope I remember to tell my kids that they are as happy as I look in my old photographs. And I hope that they believe me."

"I walk around the school hallways and look at the people. I look at the teachers and wonder why they're here. If they like their jobs. Or us. And I wonder how smart they were when they were fifteen. Not in a mean way. In a curious way. It's like looking at all the students and wondering who's had their heart broken that day, and how they are able to cope with having three quizzes and a book report due on top of that. Or wondering who did the heart breaking. And wondering why."

And I leave you with one of my favorite censorship quotes by Lester Asheim:
"Selection seeks to protect the right of the reader to read; censorship seeks to protect—not the right—but the reader from himself from the fancied effects of his reading. The selector has faith in the intelligence of the reader; the censor has faith only in his own."

Here's a playlist of songs I put together from the book -- "Charlie's Mixtape"

Practicum: Complete

Utterly exhausted...

Yesterday evening, I officially completed LIS 7640 -- my public library practicum: I logged my last few hours at CADL, wrote a blog post about my activities and observations, and published a summary of my overall experience!

I wrote:

My practicum experience mainly focused on surveying both the legal community as well as the library's patrons as to their legal information needs, reviewing and then weeding the library's legal collection, and creating a pathfinder of legal resources. For these projects, I utilized knowledge and skills acquired from LIS 7340 (Collection Development with Dr. Holley).

My secondary projects involved creating three annotated bibliographies for the library's young adult department -- Hunger Games Read-Alikes, Exploring Books Across Genres: A Guide to Teen Lit for Girls, and Exploring Books Across Genres: A Guide to Teen Lit for Guys. For these projects, I utilized knowledge and skills acquired in LIS 6530 (Young Adult Literature with Suzanne Todd) and LIS 7250 (Programming for Children and Young Adults with Suzanne Todd).

I am very satisfied with my experience and I am aware that my site supervisor is satisfied as well: "You give me new faith in the profession and what it is and will be. Thanks for everything you’ve done and especially the joy and enthusiasm you bring." Dievendorf provided me with a copy of my evaluation and it honestly brought tears to my eyes -- it was that touching. While CADL is not currently hiring, I have been asked if I would be interested in working on additional projects for the library. I am honored and have already made arrangements to do so.

As part of our final practicum posting, it was optional to provide a picture. Before leaving, I made a point to take snap a picture (via my webcam) which I've embedded in this post. I would have much rather used this picture (which I snapped on my way to my practicum earlier in the week):

So...now all I have left is finishing up my research proposal for LIS 7996. Currently, I am over halfway done writing the literature review and then I will be onto methodology, analysis of the data, limitations, and possibilities for future research.

In the next day or so, I'll share photos from my practicum experience -- mostly snapshots of various books in which I encountered while working. Only the bibliophiles out there will likely appreciate them.

Proposal Writing

Last night, shortly before calling it a day, I received feedback from Dr. Charbonneau concerning the outline I submitted for my research proposal in LIS 7996 which just happens to be the capstone project. 

With the proposal due in just two weeks (12/9 @ 9p), in the spirit of being proactive, I spent the better part of the day working on the draft -- mostly the introduction which included: statement of the problem (my topic); conceptualization of censorship, intellectual freedom, challenges, expressions of concern, oral complaints, written complaints, public attacks; and the purpose of the study. (Nearly three pages of content.) Tomorrow, I will focus on laying out the research questions and the literature review.

It is my sincere hope to actually conduct the proposed study with my friend and LIS colleague, Janet Curtiss.

Unfortunately, after an unexpected BoS while working on my outline last week, I've been dealing with Office 2007 stability issues on my laptop, Patton, ever since. I haven't been able to successfully format my document without the program locking up. I'm currently downloading Office 2010 from the School of Library and Information Science in hopes of rectifying the issue. I really don't want to work on this project upstairs in my office on the desktop. *fingers crossed* (Thank you, Jaysen, for tech support and listening to me rant earlier.)

Breakfast for the brain: cheese omelet, hash browns, and rye toast

Surreal

As far as library school goes, I am down to a mere three weeks of class left. It's surreal... In some ways, it feels like just yesterday that I started graduate school...yet, when I look at my personal and professional growth, it feels like a decade has passed rather than 2.5 years.

I remember how nerved up I was first visiting campus in December of 2009, as a prospective student, gathering information and vacillating about applying for admission into the program. And now, in just a couple of months, I'll be applying for graduation. I might have mentioned this before, but I've never "walked" for any of my degrees, including high school, and would like to participate in the big Spring graduation with my LIS friends and colleagues. Totally geeked!

Speaking of my LIS friends and colleagues as well as professors, I am ever grateful for them and the experiences in which we've shared together throughout the course of my tenure as a MLIS candidate.

So what have I been up to this semester?

• Trustee: Earlier this week, I was notified by the Sanilac County Board of Canvassers that I received a sufficient number of votes and have been elected to the position of Watertown Township trustee. My term began on Tuesday, November 20 at 12:00p and will run through 2016. 
• I'll be officially sworn in at the next township board meeting on Tuesday, December 4. Look for an update with photos from that experience.
• Practicum (LIS 7640): I've been spending time at Caro Area District Library working on projects for the Tuscola County Law Library which entailed reviewing/weeding the 340s, surveying patrons and the legal profession as to their various information needs, exploring/comparing databases of court forms, and building a comprehensive legal resources pathfinder for the community. (For viewing and/or download: cadl.legalresources.pathfinder)
• In addition to the law library content, I custom tailored two YA bibliographies for CADL in which I developed for LIS 6530 (YA Lit) and LIS 7250 (Programming for Children and YA) -- Hunger Games Read-Alikes and Exploring Books Across Genres: A Guide to Teen Lit for Girls. (For viewing and/or download: cadl.hungergames and cadl.exploring)
• Yesterday, the library director, who has supervised my experience, sent me a copy of the student evaluation she turned into the practicum coordinator -- a glowing review -- which made me quite misty-eyed when I read her comments and the body of the email.
• LIS 7996: I've been working my way through the readings, assignments, and lectures. Last week, I submitted the outline for my research proposal and am currently awaiting feedback. 
• My topic: Since Class 1 - 3-sized libraries make up 60% of Michigan's public libraries, my proposed study aims to explore the presence (or lack thereof) collection development policies and training pertaining to censorship/intellectual freedom in Class 1 – 3 public libraries in Michigan which will help to paint a picture showing the importance of increasing training and the availability of workshops on the issue.
• Earlier this month, I made a post about studying for the midterm. Here's how I did -- cut/paste from an email: "Well done on your LIS 7996 midterm exam. You got a perfect score! The midterm was worth 25 points." Rock on!
• Reading: I haven't had much time for pleasure reading this semester; however, I have managed to squeeze in the Fifty Shades trilogy by E.L. James, The Kill Order by James Dashner (the newly released prequel to The Maze Runner trilogy), and Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick (sequel to Ashes). Currently, I am reading A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. Next in my queue: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows and A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin (Book 2 in 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series).

Fifty Shades of Grey

I just finished reading Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. My favorite part: the ending. Ana was incredibly brave, strong, and honest -- characteristics in which I admire -- and to be completely honest, I felt that it was, singularly, the best written portion of the novel. I promised a review, but I don't think I can write one for this piece.

Will I read the other two books? Yes, even though this genre is not really my cup of tea as I much prefer historical fiction.

Would I buy this book for a public library? Yes. I am a firm believer that a public library's purpose is to serve the entire community and there is certainly an interest. In the words of Jo Godwin, "A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone."

Now onto Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy...

Adventures in the Z Class

Yesterday, I seized the day by visiting the Library of Michigan while I am still on break between semesters and got lost in the Z class for a few hours browsing my favorite topic: censorship and intellectual freedom.

Between interviewing directors and practicing librarians as well as reading a fabulous book titled True Stories of Censorship Battles in America's Libraries -- edited by Kathy Barco and Valerie Nye -- I seem to have a pretty good grasp on the patron-side of challenges and censorship which prompted me to explore materials from the view of  librarians that are actually pro-censorship. So...I picked up Censorship: Opposing Viewpoints and read Thomas Storck's essay titled, A Case for Censorship: Defending the Poor from the Jaded Rich. 

Needless to say, I was pretty floored and as a result ended up logging into Facebook to capture a sentence in the essay's introduction. My status update read, "There is something wrong with the following sentence: 'Storck, a librarian in Washington, D.C., insists that censorship can both prevent harmful acts and facilitate society's intellectual pursuit of truth.'"

Thomas Storck (1994) posits: 

"For, human nature being what it is, it is naive to think we can freely read and view things that promote or portray evil deeds without sometimes feeling encouraged to commit such deeds. And if this is the case, then censorship can sometimes be a necessity...[case for censorship]...It can be stated in the following simple thesis: ideas lead to actions, and bad ideas often lead to bad acts, bringing harm to individuals and possible ruin to societies. Just as the state has the right to restrict and direct a person's activities when he is a physical threat to the community, so also in the matter of intellectual or cultural threats, the authorities have duties to protect the community." (Pages 18-19)

Further... 

"The ideal censor is not some ill-educated, parochial bigot, but someone of liberal education and continued wide reading, someone with a grasp of first principles and enough experience and wisdom to see how they should be put into practice." (Page 23)

"A final point that must be noted is the connection between anti-censorship arguments and the free market...It is primarily the rich who promote and subsidize ideas and art that undermine traditional ways of life, and it is primarily the poor who suffer on that account. Society exists to protect and promote the welfare of all, but especially of the poor and the workingman. To exalt the free and irresponsible expression of the individual is to take up a position contrary to the community's duty of protecting the poor...Only those with sufficient money and ennui have the time or resources to produce ideas or art that corrupt or debase." (Page 23 - 24)

My thoughts...
I wholeheartedly concur with the sentiments of Lester Asheim -- "Selection seeks to protect the right of the reader to read; censorship seeks to protect—not the right—but the reader from himself from the fancied effects of his reading. The selector has faith in the intelligence of the reader; the censor has faith only in his own."

While some might be disgusted by the availability of a book they deem 'morally bankrupt', I align myself with good old Ranganathan and his 5 laws of library science -- specifically: (2) Every reader his (or her) book; and, (3) Every book its reader. We live in a free society and people have the right to read what they wish to read...and not be censored by some "well meaning" individual. I wholeheartedly believe that a good public library will truly have something to offend everyone...and if it doesn't...then it's someone's private library.

Mein Kampf

The American Library Association runs a listserv called ifaction which is short for Intellectual Freedom Action. Recently, via the listserv, Erin Sommerfeld shared an interesting article on Mein Kampf which was originally published in The Chronicle of Higher Education: Defusing Mein Kampf by Paul Hockenos

Other posts I've made about the infamous Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler:
Mein Kampf: A Case Study
Meeting Mein Kampf

Rosenburg's First Law of Reading

My response to The Power of Young Adult Fiction published by The New York Times:

TIME magazine columnist, Joel Stein said, “The only thing more embarrassing than catching a guy on the plane looking at pornography on his computer is seeing a guy on the plane reading ‘The Hunger Games.’ Or a Twilight book. Or Harry Potter. The only time I’m O.K. with an adult holding a children’s book is if he’s moving his mouth as he reads.” (Newsflash: you're a bully, Joel Stein.)

It’s really disheartening to know that grown adults are sometimes hesitant to pick up a book because others might judge them for reading something other than adult fiction. Judging a person based on what they read is petty and small – in fact, as library professionals, it is our ethical duty to uphold intellectual freedom and resist efforts to thwart access to materials based on age, sex, background, etc. I believe in the freedom to read -- be it children's fiction or erotica, if that's your cup of tea.

I couldn’t agree more with Rosenberg's First Law of Reading which states: "Never apologize for your reading tastes."

Author Patricia McCormick stated, “We’re competing with Facebook and smartphones, DVRs and iPods – not to mention SATs and extracurriculars. We have to capture and hold our readers’ (limited) attention on Page 1 and sustain it until the end.” And McCormick was only considering the YA spectrum – in this world of instant gratification, I am pleased to know that people are still reading. Who cares what they’re reading?! I only care that they are reading.

I not only appreciated, but wholeheartedly concurred with the following comments:

“It’s because adults are discovering one of publishing’s best-kept secrets: that young adult authors are doing some of the most daring work out there. Authors who write for young adults are taking creative risks – with narrative structure, voice and social commentary – that you just don’t see as often in the more rarefied world of adult fiction.” – Patricia McCormick, Authors Taking Risks Isn’t Kid Stuff.

“So what do regular adults see in young adult fiction? It's a different experience from reading, for example, literary fiction. Not better or worse, just different. The writing is different: young adult novels tend to emphasize strong voices and clear, clean descriptive prose, whereas a lot of literary fiction is very focused on style: dense, lyrical, descriptive prose, larded with tons of carefully observed detail, which calls attention to its own virtuosity rather than ushering the reader to the next paragraph with a minimum of fuss. That kind of writing can be marvelous, but sometimes you're just not in the mood for it…Bottom line, there's one thing that young adult novels rarely are, and that's boring. They're built to grab your attention and hold it. And I'm not as young as I once was. At my age, I don't have time to be bored.” – Lev Grossman, Nothing’s Wrong With Strong Plot and Characters.

And, writer Ilsa J. Bick:

“Really, what it comes down to? It’s the story. YA or not, if the story sucks, people won’t read it. If the story is great and just happens to be YA, people will. End of story.”

(To read Bick's full opinion, please visit her blog.)

@#$%

Call me what you will, but I am not impressed with book reviews that use obscenities. 

I find them annoying...like a mosquito buzzing around my head.

Some of the language I've encountered while working on a project...
Example: "This book was zombie-fucking-tastic! ..."
Example: "Holy. Fucking. Shit. ...Anyway. I'm not quite done, but fuck! is this book good. I can't believe I actually thought of giving up on it once. It's SO GOOD..."

Really?!

Perhaps the reviewer believes that employing such language will earn them more views or even cred?

Do I think they should be censored? Absolutely not. 

The fact is: I scroll right past these reviews and don't even bother reading the rambling rest! (A form of self-censorship that doesn't infringe upon the rights of anyone else.)

It just all comes down to the credibility of the reviewer...

/end rant

Note to Self: Defending a Book

While watching this week's lecture, I felt the need to write a note to my (future) self:
When practicing collection development, every book in which you choose to purchase should be able to be defended if a patron so happens to decide to challenge the item. If you can't defend it -- don't purchase it.

This Week in Review

This has been a pretty crummy week with the untimely deaths of Pamela Mantey and Andrea Costa whom were both battling downright aggressive cases of cancer. As a result, I've been feeling pretty down in the dumps.

Here's an attempt to capture my bookish thoughts and actions from this week:

• Since Andrea is the daughter of a close family friend, RB and I will be making a donation to Eastpointe Memorial Library in her name for the youth department. 
• Ray Bradbury passed away on Tuesday at the age of 91. 
• Wednesday marked 68 years since the invasion of Normandy, France (aka D-Day).
• I have three possible sites for my practicum this fall -- now I'm left just to wait-and-see as to where I'll be assigned. Per SLIS policy, as a student I can only recommend -- the practicum coordinator has the final say.
• Frustration: Because I am interested in rural libraries, I'd like my practicum site to be in a rural community -- preferably in the Thumb area. Unfortunately, it's the policy of the SLIS that the supervising librarian hold an MLIS. Fact: the majority of rural librarians in this area do not have a MLIS (and in some cases not even a Bachelor's degree). 
• I am disappointed because to follow the policy means that I am deprived of the opportunity of interning under a number of very kind and rural experienced librarians who would love to share their knowledge and experience! 
• The 30Y.30L project really helped me network and talk to directors about the possibility of hosting my practicum.
• In this week's YA Lit lecture, instructor Sue Todd made the following statement when introducing a piece of literature to the class. She said, "This book is not for everyone, but it deserves a place on library shelves for those that may be dealing with these issues." I loved the statement and plan on incorporating it into my library-speak. Thanks, Sue!
• Historical fiction novels in verse helps to mix up and refresh a genre that is commonly labeled as "stuffy" with the tween and teen crowd. It also can engage the reluctant reader as well as inspire young people to learn more about historical events.
• Fact: my favorite genre is historical fiction. (Big surprise, right?!)
• Before Lit to Film Club this week, I met up with fellow MLIS candidate, Camille, and had dinner in downtown Rochester at the historic Red Knapp's Dairy Bar. It was great to finally meet her and the conversation was first rate: archives, books, and libraries. She attended Club with me!
• I didn't end up reading this month's selection for Lit to Film Club -- The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan. I read the first section on apples and felt incredibly guilty spending any amount of time reading for pleasure when I had a stack of books glaring at me for the YA Lit class I'm taking this term. 
• Yet I still attended the Club and found myself really getting into the documentary. When I have more time, I definitely plan on picking up the book again.
• For my YA Lit class, I had to select a different author to focus on for my project. Unfortunately, Veronica Roth is too new of an author and hasn't published five books as of yet. I am now focusing on Ursula K. Le Guin instead.
• I read the first two books in the Earthsea series last fall semester when I was taking LIS 7560: Vampires, Wizards, and Superheroes -- A Wizard of Earthsea and The Tombs of Atuan.
• Over the past two weeks, I've worked my way through the series and actually started the last book yesterday afternoon -- The Other Wind.
• I used MeL to interloan Conversations with Ursula K. Leguin edited by Carl Freedman.
• I am working on a new bibliography -- supernatural / paranormal YA fiction. 
• When I'm feeling down, besides reading a good novel or playing my drum set, I love going for a country drive in my truck with the roof open and windows down. On Thursday, I ended up cruising over to Frankenmuth and informally touring their library -- James E. Wickson Memorial Library. (I'll create a separate post at a later time to share my thoughts and observations.)

On Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Earlier today I read an article published by the Wall Street Journal which got me pretty fired up: Darkness Too Visible by Megan Cox Gurdon. The tagline: "Contemporary fiction for teens is rife with explicit abuse, violence and depravity. Why is this considered a good idea?"

Maybe Amy Freeman lives under a rock and doesn't visit Barnes and Noble all that often, but based on her inept description of the YA area, "it was all vampires and suicide and self-mutilation, this dark, dark stuff," it certainly sounds like she lives under one. Why? As a frequent customer of BN as well as the public library, the YA genre is not all about vampires, suicide, and cutting; however, popular reads right now tend to be a bit more weighty and focus on issues beyond finding the perfect dress for prom. BN typically stocks bestselling fiction and well as those works which have received favorable reviews from trending sources such as Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Another student aptly labeled their post on the discussion board "supply and demand" -- the heavier and deeper types of books are selling and they're selling for a reason.

The library context...
In 1931, Ranganathan created the 5 laws of library science -- two of the laws are pertinent to this situation:

(2) Every reader his (or her) book -- "This law suggests that every member of the community should be able to obtain materials needed. Ranganathan felt that all individuals from all social environments were entitled to library service, and that the basis of library use was education, to which all were entitled. These entitlements were not without some important obligations for both libraries/librarians and library patrons. Librarians should have excellent first-hand knowledge of the people to be served. Collections should meet the special interests of the community, and libraries should promote and advertise their services extensively to attract a wide range of readers" (Wikipedia).

(3) Every book its reader -- "This principle is closely related to the second law but it focuses on the item itself, suggesting that each item in a library has an individual or individuals who would find that item useful" (Wikipedia).

In my personal statement which I included with my application for admission into this program, I cited an overwhelmingly heavy caseload of incest cases which involved teenage girls as victims -- their perpetrators: fathers and brothers. It was absolutely heart-wrenching to see these cases come in -- many of them had withheld their stories for years. As of result of what they were going through, several of these young women had turned to abnormal coping strategies such as substance abuse, cutting, eating disorders, pulling out hair, and promiscuity. In counseling sessions with adult victims of domestic violence, a great many of them cited being sexually abused as children or young adults. And these are just the cases in which the victims have come forward and chosen to speak out -- how many are out there walking around holding onto their nightmare-reality? Chances are that there is an overwhelming number of victims and survivors out there -- their friends and non-offending family members are commonly referred to as secondary victims and they too are affected by the trauma.

We live in a pretty ugly world today. In reality, I think it's been ugly for ages but now people are choosing to break their silence which has likely prompted the changes in today's contemporary realistic fiction which now not only includes stories about sexual abuse, but also the realities of 'coming out', bullying, teen sex / pregnancy, eating disorders, substance abuse, cutting, and suicide.

If Freeman isn't comfortable with her child reading certain materials, than she simply doesn't have to purchase them; however, to complain about the mere availability of such materials smacks of ignorance and only facilitates in thwarting those experiencing certain situations from having access to information which could possibly offer comfort and encouragement. If she's looking for a good, safe, "clean" read for her teen than I would strongly suggest sticking to the Inspirational / Christian Fiction genre. However, chances are pretty high that Freeman's teen knows someone or has personally experienced a situation spelled out in a piece of today's contemporary realistic fiction.

Here are some statistics that pertain only to the dating violence aspect:

• About one in three high school students have been or will be involved in an abusive relationship.
• Forty percent of teenage girls ages 14 to 17 say they know someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend.
• A survey of 500 young women, ages 15 to 24, found that 60 percent were currently involved in an ongoing abusive relationship and all participants had experienced violence in a dating relationship.
• One study found that 38 percent of date rape victims were young women from 14 to 17 years of age.

(Source: Alabama Coalition Against Dating Violence)

The Stack

While doing some tidying up earlier this morning, I added a few more "conquered" books to a growing stack on my piano. Outside of textbooks and academic articles, I am surprised by how much I've read since January! (I'd like to let the record reflect that not all of these books are stacked on the piano -- many were checked out from my local library, museum, and/or borrowed via inter-library loan.)

Here's a list of what I've read thus far:

1. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson   
2. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs 
3. Peak by Roland Smith 
4. Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick 
5. Divergent by Veronica Roth 
6. Insurgent by Veronica Roth 
7. The Maze Runner by James Dashner 
8. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner  
9. The Death Cure by James Dashner 
10. The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff 
11. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi 
12. I am J by Cris Beam 
13. Tina's Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary by Keshni Kashyup 
14. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 
15. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins 
16. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins 
17. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
18. Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation (graphic novel) by Ray Bradbury and Tim Hamilton 
19. Match to Flame: The Fictional Paths to Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Donn Albright, and Jon Eller
20. A Pleasure to Burn: Fahrenheit 451 Stories by Ray Bradbury 
21. Ray Bradbury by Wayne Johnson
22. 120 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature by Nicholas J. Karolides, Margaret Bald, and Dawn B. Sova
23. True Stories of Censorship Battles in America's Libraries edited by Kathy Barco and Valerie Nye
24. The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston
25. Banned Books: Literature Suppressed on Social Grounds by Dawn B. Sova
26. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
27. Conjured by Chelsea Bellingeri
28. Article 5 by Kristin Simmons
29. Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai
30. The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
31. Europe's Free Press: The Underground Newspapers of Occupied Lands Described as Far as the Censor Permits by Vincent Brome
32. Exhibit Labels: An Interactive Approach by Beverly Serrell
33. Exhibit Makeovers: A Do-It-Yourself Workbook for Small Museums by Alice Parman and Jeffrey Jane Flowers
34. Hitler's Mein Kampf in Britain and America: A Publishing History, 1930-39 by James J. Barnes
35. How to (Un)cage a Girl by Francesca Lia Block
36. Jar City: A Reykjavík Thriller by Arnaldur Indridason
37. Percy Jackson & the Olympians (1): The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
38. Preservation Management for Libraries, Archives, and Museums edited by G.E. Gorman and Sydney J. Shep
39. Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust by Eve Bunting
40. The Jews of Warsaw, 1939-1943: Ghetto, Underground, Revolt by Yisrael Gutman
41. X-Men: Magneto Testament by Pak and Di Giandomenico
42. Oxymoronica: Paradoxical Wit & Wisdom From History's Greatest Wordsmiths by Mardy Grothe
43. Spilling the Beans on the Cat's Pajamas by Judy Parkinson

Not bad for almost 6 months (plus being in graduate school)!

Reflections of a Former Potty Mouth

Rather than inundating my social network with bookish thoughts, concerns, and rants, I think it'll be better if I saved them for this blog... which I'll then share in link form on Facebook. (?!?!)

Three-quarters of the way through reading the graphic novel Persepolis: The Story of Childhood by Marjane Satrapi for an upcoming book talk project, I watched the lecture for my young adult lit class which was published yesterday morning. Much to my dislike and subsequent dismay, I took note that all materials selected for the course need to have been published within last 5 years. With the exception, of course, those materials selected for the classics project. Persepolis was published in 2002. Fail, fail, fail! 

Thankfully, while browsing at BN yesterday evening, I stumbled upon Tina's Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary by Keshni Kashyap which was published in January of 2012. It looked really interesting which is why I purchased it for my private collection. I was especially intrigued by the fact that the book gave the perspective of an Indian-American high school girl coming of age.

While I would've loved this graphic novel if it had been published when I was back in high school; however, as an adult I am now flinching at the idea of promoting it for young adults via a book talk for a class project. Why? Lots of references to sex and drugs...not to mention a heap of naughty words including the infamous 'f-word.' I'll admit that while working in the male-dominated criminal justice field, I could cuss along with the best of them and had even taken to being creative with my vocabulary (note: it gave me cred with the boys -- they didn't view me as 'too girly'). I've since cleaned up my mouth...for the most part. However, in the role of a librarian, I can already imagine the complaints teachers and parents might have over this particular selection...  On the flip side, Booklist gave the work a starred review and Kirkus said, "A charming, hip, illustrated coming-of-age tale."

A young JC...

Setting aside the use of explicit language, I'm already half-way through this book and am very impressed by how Kashyap shows Tina coping with life's various challenges (e.g. losing her best friend) in a realistic fashion that is sure to hit home with today's teens. In reflection, I think that this book would've been one of my favorites and definitely a comfort read for me back in the day. Confession: I think it's already one of my new favorites.

Citing the wise Ranganathan via the Five Laws of Library Science,

"Every reader his [or her] book and every reader its book." 

Conclusion: I am going forth and using this [insert string of expletives] book for this project! (Hahaha.) Stay tuned for the book talk...

Mein Kampf: Case Study

For LIS 7790 - History of Books, Printing, and Publishing, each student was required to complete a case study for the course. Because of my research interest in 'censorship and intellectual freedom during the Third Reich', I chose to study the infamous Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler.

I was invited to contribute to the SLIS Ideas Blog and thought that the Mein Kampf case study would be perfect as the book is quite controversial yet quite a lot of people are not familiar with the work and its inherent creepiness. So with the help of my good friend Christie Williams, I made some minor revisions to the case study by making a more definitive introduction and conclusion. I then recorded the audio, found public domain photos, pieced the whole enchilada together, and published the vlog via YouTube.

Without further ado, you can view my case study in vlog format by visiting "Ideas from the School of Library and Information Science" or more directly via the embedded video below; however, I strongly encourage you to take a moment to please check out the fabulous Ideas Blog and browse the other postings from fellow students and SLIS faculty:

Note: If you hang out until the very end of the vlog, you'll find a list of sources in which consulted for the project -- great reading, if you're interested in the topic! (I highly suggest Hitler's Mein Kampf in Britain and America: A Publishing History 1930-39 by James J. Barnes and P. Barnes)

Rural Libraries Conference: Photos

I didn't take many photos from my time at the conference, but here are a few
that I managed to snap. (After all, I was busy learning!)

I managed to snap a photo of a sign for the Rural Libraries Conference and the sign right next to it: GVSU's Master of Social Work hooding ceremony. Why? Well, if I had stayed in my previous career, I would've been pursuing a MSW. It was an interesting moment when I saw the two signs side by side...made me think of The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.