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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

#51

Post by wbsss4412 »

gjsman-1000 wrote: post #42
bryanrasmussen wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>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.

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

Citation needed

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

#52

Post by Wistar »

gjsman-1000 wrote: post #42
bryanrasmussen wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>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.

I thought that it was Dr. Seuss Enterprises themselves choosing to cease publication of some of his books rather than school libraries removing them from their shelves.

Politico seems to agree. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/mar/10/viral-imag...

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

#53

Post by [deleted] »

wbsss4412 wrote: post #51
gjsman-1000 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

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

[deleted]

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

#54

Post by quadrifoliate »

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 librarians already provide a "SafeSearch" by curating material at libraries. This is more similar to if Texas tried to mandate that Google SafeSearch at libraries should now include a ban on any LGBTQ images.

Contrary to what you might imagine, checking out and shelving books is not the only things librarians do – they also curate and trim material, a bit like cultivating a garden. Libraries are a fine-tuned system that maximizes freedom of expression and ideas in a reasonably curated manner. It existed long before the Internet, and legislators tampering with that is always alarming.

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

#55

Post by BashiBazouk »

As a kid in the 70's growing up on the beach in Santa Cruz I once watched a real book burning. It was weird. Some local christian group came down a dug a huge pit. Started a bonfire and a large group of people were tossing in books and records. When I was much older I realized with all the melted records that must have really polluted that section of the beach...

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

#56

Post by gjsman-1000 »

wbsss4412 wrote: post #48
gjsman-1000 wrote: post #22

[flagged]

The Dr Seuss controversy this year was because his estate decided to stop publishing certain titles. Can you point to any record of his books being banned en mass from any actual school libraries?

A few did - but not many upon further research.

I'll admit Dr. Seuss is not the best example.

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

#58

Post by wbsss4412 »

gjsman-1000 wrote: post #56
wbsss4412 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Dr Seuss controversy this year was because his estate decided to stop publishing certain titles. Can you point to any record of his books being banned en mass from any actual school libraries?

A few did - but not many upon further research. I'll admit Dr. Seuss is not the best example.

The Dr. Seuss controversy was typical of the social media age. A lot of outrage and chatter, not a lot of substance.

The narrative chugs along…

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

#59

Post by gjsman-1000 »

wbsss4412 wrote: post #51
gjsman-1000 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

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

Apparently a few library did remove it, but most did not remove it and it was just the estate as others stated. I'll admit it's not the best example.

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

#60

Post by gjsman-1000 »

quadrifoliate wrote: post #54
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 librarians already provide a "SafeSearch" by curating material at libraries. This is more similar to if Texas tried to mandate that Google SafeSearch at libraries should now include a ban on any LGBTQ images. Contrary to what you might imagine, checking out and shelving books is not the only things librarians do – they also curate and trim material, a bit like cultivating a garden. Libraries ar…

Would the legislators intervening be permissible in your view if the legislators believe that the librarians are doing a poor job at curation?

An example of this is the right's claim that many of these banned books are almost pornographic in nature and inappropriate for almost any age. From the right's perspective, the legislators are intervening because the librarians are failing at their curation and safety job.

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