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As calls to ban books intensify, digital librarians offer perspective

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Re: As calls to ban books intensify, digital librarians offer perspective

#31

Post by gjsman-1000 »

temp8964 wrote: post #30
gambiting wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know where you grew up, but our school library had lots and lots and lots of books that had nothing to do with the curriculum, and students were encouraged to read outside of the required material. The idea that certain books(or indeed, entire categories of books) should be banned from a school library is definitely censorship. It's like suggesting that school computers should be banned from viewing certain p…

How about school computers should be banned from viewing certain websites?

They already are, and it is legally required that they do so, as are libraries.

https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/childrens-internet-prot...

Re: As calls to ban books intensify, digital librarians offer perspective

#32

Post by LocalH »

gjsman-1000 wrote: post #28
LocalH wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That only works to a point. If a community decided "math is stupid, our schools shouldn't be teaching it", they should quite rightly be overridden. Instead of treating it like a power grab, perhaps the process for determining curriculum should be more open and transparent?

If a community decided that math is stupid and our schools shouldn't be teaching it, they may actually have a point. Who defines "math"? Is it all the way to Calculus 2 because the math teachers got excited and thought everyone needs to get that far? Is it politics disguised as math? I'd trust the community in that case. And if it backfires, they get to live with the consequences. Not everything needs to be idiot-pro…

It wouldn't be so bad if "bad ideas fail[ing] hard" didn't have the potential to quite literally ruin the lives of the youths who come up in these environments.

Re: As calls to ban books intensify, digital librarians offer perspective

#33

Post by gambiting »

temp8964 wrote: post #30
gambiting wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know where you grew up, but our school library had lots and lots and lots of books that had nothing to do with the curriculum, and students were encouraged to read outside of the required material. The idea that certain books(or indeed, entire categories of books) should be banned from a school library is definitely censorship. It's like suggesting that school computers should be banned from viewing certain p…

How about school computers should be banned from viewing certain websites?

Websites are not books though and cannot be treated the same way. I see a library more like a giant encyclopedia of knowledge, you should be free to access it if you need to, without books being banned for political reasons or otherwise.

Now, I do support having a kind of a "restricted section" where you can access a book normally out of sight. Say a copy of Kamasutra - it's not on a shelf, but if you need it for a project and got a permission from a teacher - go ahead.

Re: As calls to ban books intensify, digital librarians offer perspective

#35

Post by gjsman-1000 »

For everyone arguing about how the library system is being censored with this, I would like to remind people that since 2000, all libraries (including non-school libraries) have the internet censored with (almost always) Google SafeSearch locked on and many websites (particularly porn but there are others) blocked. And it's federal law.

https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/childrens-internet-prot...

Is this censorship? And if so, what is the difference between internet censorship and library censorship, other than that someone printed their work instead of typing it? And why is outrage permitted for this and blocking printed books, but not for digital work?

Re: As calls to ban books intensify, digital librarians offer perspective

#36

Post by belorn »

azeirah wrote: post #25
gjsman-1000 wrote: post #22

[flagged]

As far as I know most libraries (school libraries too probably?) are open to book requests. Unless you're asking for something like mein kampf, I don't think the librarians will look at you weirdly when asking for _any_ book whatsoever.

I would assume that if someone asked a librarian for Mein Kampf, the assumption is that the student is interested in history. Similar, a student reading the Communist Manifesto is most likely not a revolutionary that want to draw inspiration for an violent insurrection, but rather a philosophy/history student that is interested to read the original text.

Naturally context matter. If the student is wearing a beret and holding a AK4, maybe denying the Communist Manifesto would be the right decision at that point in time.

Re: As calls to ban books intensify, digital librarians offer perspective

#37

Post by phone8675309 »

shlurpy wrote: post #24
kspacewalk2 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Books whose authors are no longer able to give a talk on college campuses without multiple threats of physical violence against them". Curated, of course.

So any LGBT authors and any femenists?

Sure, but to be fair, it's a pretty broad category these days, and not limited to just those categories.

Re: As calls to ban books intensify, digital librarians offer perspective

#38

Post by shagie »

gjsman-1000 wrote: post #26
015a wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But, they are , in some instances, calling for the removal of some of these books from school libraries. I would qualify that as "book burning" (dramatically, metaphorically); its similar to the argument that school lunches have to be healthy, because in unfortunately-to-many cases it may be the only meal that student gets today. Additionally, as you point out of the gulf between this and 1940s Germany, I will point…

You are aware that >40% of this country views flat-earth, LGBTQ studies, and CRT at the same level of regard? If they didn't, why the school board battles going on all over the place? As far as they are concerned, there is no gulf between them.

... and that is why the The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine ( https://www.amazon.com/Gale-Encyclopedia-Medicine-Set/dp/141... ) is on the list of books being removed ( https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/94fee7ff93eff960... )

Re: As calls to ban books intensify, digital librarians offer perspective

#40

Post by bryanrasmussen »

gjsman-1000 wrote: post #22

[flagged]

>I don't think you'd find Ayn Rand in the average modern school library. Or a book that supports Trump, or a book that talks about socialism in an unflattering light.

My daughter's ultra left wing school in Denmark has Atlas Shrugged, Trump: The Art of the Deal, and Gulag Archipelago.

Are you suggesting that American schools are more left wing than a left wing school in Denmark?

Also, I got Atlas Shrugged from my school library in the U.S but that was in the 80s so probably you would think that wouldn't be possible today?

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