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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

#41

Post by ivanche »

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?

I would've really expected that any semi-decent school bans at least pr0n, gambling, sports betting and similar types of sites.

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

#42

Post by gjsman-1000 »

bryanrasmussen wrote: post #40
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 sch…

There are schools across America where, yes, I actually believe you would not find those books.

Remember that Dr. Seuss, benign of benign, having multiple books removed from school libraries is well-documented.

EDIT: I was wrong about this - it was the estate and a few vocal libraries - but most libraries did not remove.

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

#43

Post by colpabar »

gjsman-1000 wrote: post #35

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 censorshi…

The difference is that you can't accidentally click a popup that takes you to a porn website in a book. If you want to talk about specific things that are blocked by that safe filter that you think shouldn't be, that could be a discussion worth having. But anyone who has ever used the internet should know that you absolutely need some kind of filter on a school's internet connection.

When I was in school, the only things online that I wanted to access that were blocked were flash games.

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

#44

Post by ncallaway »

gjsman-1000 wrote: post #18
shagie wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Nobody’s calling for banning books. They are calling for not using certain books in curriculum, which is very different and not allowing certain books is necessary for any school system. From the other day on NPR: https://www.npr.org/2021/11/11/1054798508/when-schools-ban-b... > Texas Gov. Greg Abbott joined Krause's efforts this week, sending his own letter to the Texas Education Agency asking it and other agencie…

Well then, again, would you want a flat-earther science manual in the school library? Schools exercising discretion is not 1940s Germany book bans and the two are not comparable.

I would be surprised if the librarian had the flat-earther science manual already in the library.

But if it was already in the library, I would not want to ban it from the library as a remedy. That's insanity.

So, no, I don't want the book in the school library, but I sure as shit don't want to ban it from the school library either.

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

#47

Post by Wistar »

xphilter wrote: post #21
temp8964 wrote: post #17

Stop confusing K-12 public school libraries with public libraries. K-12 public school libraries always have a small selection of books. Vast majority of books are not in K-12 public school libraries. There is no parallel between select books for K-12 public school libraries and banning books from libraries. If this is about you want to indoctrinate certain ideology into kids using the public school system, at least b…

Which radical political ideologies?

Those that espouse unrestricted access to knowledge.

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

#49

Post by the_only_law »

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.

Hell, when I was in HS there was a copy of Mein Kampf sitting on a display stand. This was not that long ago either.

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

#50

Post by BashiBazouk »

gjsman-1000 wrote: post #18
shagie wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Nobody’s calling for banning books. They are calling for not using certain books in curriculum, which is very different and not allowing certain books is necessary for any school system. From the other day on NPR: https://www.npr.org/2021/11/11/1054798508/when-schools-ban-b... > Texas Gov. Greg Abbott joined Krause's efforts this week, sending his own letter to the Texas Education Agency asking it and other agencie…

Well then, again, would you want a flat-earther science manual in the school library? Schools exercising discretion is not 1940s Germany book bans and the two are not comparable.

Why not? Sure flat earth science would be horrible for science curriculum but the book in the library is fine. What if a student wanted to do a report on flat earthers? Should they have no access to reference material?
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