I’m the manager of a small branch of a large library system. I don’t have a children’s librarian on staff, but the children’s librarians at the main library choose the books for the collection. A parent has filed a formal complaint that my staff allowed her nine-year-old daughter to check out Deenie by Judy Blume. How should I handle this?

It sounds as if there are two issues: (1) A problem with your staff (2) A complaint against the book. Make sure that the mother understands that it’s never the role of the librarian to monitor what children read. Then invite the mother to file a book reconsideration form, which I assume is part of your library system’s policy. Deenie is appropriate for most nine-year-olds. The mother needs to tell her daughter if she doesn’t want her to read it. I do think it wise to ask the children’s librarians at the main library to conduct a workshop in children’s services for your staff. They may need reassurance about their roles.

A seventh-grade student brought his mother’s ereader to class on the last day of school. He passed it around so that students could read passages from Fifty Shades of Grey. It created an uproar and the teacher came to the library to ask my help. I really didn’t know what to do.

This is no different from my generation passing around dog-eared copies of Peyton Place. Don’t make a big deal out of the situation. In the future, advise the teacher to simply ask the student to focus on class work and continue reading the book when he gets home.

My friend’s son (an advanced eighth-grade student in the middle school where I’m a librarian) may take ninth-grade English for credit. The summer reading selection for ninth-graders in the school district is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. He is registered for freshman English in the fall, but she doesn’t want him to read the novel. I was her easiest target because she doesn’t know the English teacher. I didn’t know how to handle this.

Do you know for a fact that students weren’t given a reading choice? Many school districts allow students to make a summer reading selection from a list of books provided by English teachers. This accommodates various interests and maturity levels. If this isn’t the case, then the mother has a choice. She can elect to take her son out of the class and put him in regular eighth-grade English. If she insists that he stay in the class, then he needs to complete the requirement. It sounds as if she will listen to you.

I’m taking an online course in children’s services from a university that is located in another part of the country. I have an issue with some of the theories about public library services to children. In my public library system, children are welcome to use the entire library collection. The professor defines children as birth to 11 years old. This makes me feel that I have to defend the policy of my library system.

Children should have free and open access to books and materials. Most children will reject what they aren’t ready for, especially if they don’t feel the materials are forbidden. What about 12- and 14-year-olds who simply want to continue using the children’s room? Does this professor think that they should be banned because they grew up? Your library is on the right track.

Another elementary school in my district had several challenges last year. Since my school library has a number of parent volunteers, I thought it wise to provide them training in hopes of avoiding challenges in my school. What should I tell them?

Two main points: (1) Student privacy is a requirement (2) Leave reader guidance to you. I personally recommend that parent volunteers be used for more clerical types of jobs. If parents want to read aloud to students, then make the reading choice together. Never ask a parent to read aloud something they aren’t comfortable reading.

A children’s librarian in a small public library, I announced a monthlong storytelling festival for school-age children. A parent of a third grader complained that the program involves fairy tales. I’m worried that the library director will ask me to pull the program. What should I do?

One parent shouldn’t be allowed to dictate a program. I suggest that you try to reason with her about the value of fairy tales. If she insists that her daughter isn’t to take part, then that is her choice. Let the director know that fairy tales are a large part of the oral tradition, and that no one else has complained. It should be treated in the same way as a book challenge. A formal complaint process solves the issue most of the time.

I’m an elementary school librarian and have once again been hit with a challenge to the “Junie B. Jones” series. The specific complaint is “disorderly conduct” and the grammar in the books. I’m tired of the challenges. I fear that I’m about to cave.

Do not cave! The purpose of a library is to serve all students. This doesn’t mean that everything in the collection satisfies every child or every parent. The way to solve the problem isn’t to remove the books, but to help children see that the “disorderly conduct” and the “bad grammar” define the character of Junie B. Jones—and contribute to the humor. Turn the discussion into an English lesson by asking them to correct the grammar. Children read these books to be entertained and don’t necessarily emulate the character. Trust their intelligence.

Students in a sophomore English class in my school were asked to write an original short story. One student used a lot of profanity in his. The teacher thinks the language is inappropriate and is afraid that she may get in trouble with the principal. She wants to fail the student. I told her that would be a mistake. What should we do?

If she didn’t specify that students weren’t allowed to use profanity in their stories, then she doesn’t have ground to stand on. Please advise the teacher to judge and grade the story on its merit, and not on issues of language. Are the stories for publication, a contest, to be read aloud in class? If not, then why is she afraid that the principal will question the assignment? She will create a larger problem if she reprimands the student.

I had no problems withThe Hunger Games in my middle school library until the movie was released. A parent who hasn’t read the book took her son to see the movie and she was bothered by the content. She called me because she doesn’t think the book should be in a middle school library. She added that neither the movie nor the book disturb, her son, and that makes her nervous. Help!

Tell her that the book is appropriate for middle school students, and that it was selected for the library based on reviews. Share the reviews with her and ask her to consider reading the book. Encourage her to discuss it with her son and ask him to reflect on its powerful themes. Sometimes conversation solves a disagreement. She needs to understand that she can guide what her son reads, but she doesn’t have the right to guide what other children read. Let the complaint go through a formal process if the mother isn’t satisfied.

I have seen a recent push by the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) to report any challenge to library materials. I’ve been afraid to let ALA know when there has been a challenge in my library. Why is reporting so important?

Don’t be afraid. The ALA OIF is there to help you. The information that is reported is kept confidential unless the person filing the complaint wishes for it to go public. ALA uses the data to help guide other libraries in the nation with similar cases. In addition, the data is used in determining the most challenged materials in a given year. It is especially helpful when the office knows the resolution to a case.

Unfortunately, strict Internet filtering is the reality in many schools. Check your district’s Internet Use Policy and make sure there’s a provision to unblock sites that students may need. Perhaps you could meet with other teachers and see which sites kids will need to complete their upcoming assignments. Then ask the IT person to unblock them in advance.

My school district is adamant that our students must meet the Common Core standards for reading and literature. I’m especially concerned about the “Production and Distribution of Writing” standard, which requires kids to “Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others.” Our school’s computers are heavily filtered, and the district’s policy doesn’t allow students to use email or social media during the school day.

Schedule a meeting with those who have the power to change the policy, including members of the IT department. Point out that this particular standard is impossible for kids to meet because the district’s current policy is so strict. Perhaps the IT department can come up with a solution. It’s also important to check your state’s privacy policy. Perhaps student writing should only be posted with a student’s first name or a unique screen name. You might also want to consider asking your district to subscribe to SchoolTube, which is a site where students can share their work.

One of our high school students is doing his senior project on Robert Cormier. He’s especially interested in exploring why many of Cormier’s novels were often censored. As part of the research, the student is required to use books, periodicals, newspapers, and websites. We have online access to some magazines and newspapers, but they don’t date back to when Cormier’s works were first challenged. I’ve done a quick search for online resources, but many of the sites that deal with censorship are blocked in our district. Any suggestions?

There’s a book about Cormier’s work in the “Authors of Banned Books” series that’s called, Robert Cormier: Banned, Challenged, and Censored (Enslow, 2008). If you check its chapter notes, you’ll find many valuable resources, including the names of websites with their URLs. If your school library doesn’t own this series, the local public library may. Consider getting it through interlibrary loan if you can’t purchase it by the time the student needs to complete his research. I’m sure that the public library can supply almost anything the student needs—make sure he has a public library card!

I’m an elementary school librarian. Recently, our principal asked me to remove the entire “The Popularity Papers” series from our collection after a parent complained about it. Our girls—and even some of the boys—really love these books. The fact that one of its main characters has two dads has never been an issue until the parent complained. When I asked our principal if he wanted me to remove the series because of the gay parents, he replied, “Yes, we can’t support that.” I haven’t removed the books. What should I do?

Does your district have a Materials Reconsideration Policy that deals with specific challenges? If it does, review the policy with your principal and the parent. Let them know that following a proper procedure is the most professional way of handling a challenge. The courts have already said that school administrators can’t pull a library book based on their “personal opinion or bias.” Point to the case in Davis County, UT, where the school district removed Patricia Polacco’s In Our Mothers’ House (Philomel, 2009) from its shelves. Parents who wanted their kids to have access to the book sued the district. The school board has reinstated the book, but the court case isn’t settled. If you don’t have a policy, now is the time to develop one.

Pat Scales is chair of the American Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee. You can send your questions or comments on censorship to her at pscales@bellsouth.net.

Rather than focusing on a book’s format or where it’s shelved, his teacher should concentrate on getting the right title into your son’s hands. There’s nothing wrong with asking her to explain her rationale. Is she attempting to control her students’ reading choices? Let her know that you’re willing to experiment with any format that’ll help your son. Perhaps she isn’t aware that many of the school library’s books are also available in digital form, and may be found at the public library. I’ve heard many censorship cases that deal with the content of library materials, but this is the first I’ve encountered in which a book’s format has been censored. The teacher needs to enter the 21st century. Show her some articles about schools that are successfully using iPads and ereaders with their students, such as September 2012 SLJ cover story, “Travis’s Excellent Adventure”.

Our library’s technology manager told me that under CIPA we’re required to block all social networking sites. Is that true?

No. CIPA requires libraries that receive E-rate funding to teach students about cyberbullying and the appropriate use of social networking sites. There are various ways to do that, including offering programs for children and teens or weekend programs aimed at families. Dori Hillestad Butler’s The Truth about Truman School (Albert Whitman, 2008) is a perfect book to help kids understand the perils of online bullying.

One of our social studies teachers requires her eighth graders to read a book of their choice about the Holocaust. After one of them chose Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, she got a complaint from his mother, who told her that theliteratemother.org had recommended the book for older teens because of its language and violence. Now our principal wants me to remove it from our collection. When I explained that the parent needed to file a formal complaint and then the case would go before a reconsideration committee, he told me to skip that step. What should I do?

Sites that rate books are popping up everywhere, and they’re causing librarians a lot of grief. I visited “The Literate Mother” and discovered that it’s using the same criteria as Common Sense Media. I wouldn’t call anyone “literate” who takes words and scenes out of context like these sites do. If you do your homework, you’ll find that none of these sites use professional reviewers. It’s also not uncommon for them to take a simple kiss out of context and then point out that a book has sexual content. Remind your principal that students should be offered choices, and any book set during the Holocaust is bound to contain violence. This is a case in which a teacher is expected to teach, but a parent, and even the principal, doesn’t want students to learn. Stick to your guns. It sounds as if your district has a formal process for dealing with book challenges, and you should stick to that, too.

Our elementary school library’s parent volunteers don’t understand the importance of confidentiality. In fact, one of them even told her fifth-grade daughter that a particular classmate wasn’t a good reader and still checked out Beverly Cleary books. Any advice?

Parent volunteers can be invaluable, especially when you’re short-staffed, but it’s important that they understand their role. At the beginning of the school year, offer a workshop for your volunteers. Tell them that library records are confidential, and you’d prefer to do all of the reader guidance yourself, since you understand students’ reading preferences. Keep the problematic parent on your radar screen and give her a job that doesn’t require interaction with students—there are always books to be shelved.

You are absolutely right to refuse to display the pamphlet. I’d expect a public school principal to understand this issue. Check your district’s policies: I bet they prohibit displaying religious promotional materials in school.

Our district has had a rash of book challenges this year, and now the school board wants to narrow our selection policy. I don’t have time to read every title I order for our library, but I feel accountable for what I select. I need help!

An organized group may be instigating these challenges. It sounds as if the school board doesn’t have the courage to let parents know that what a child reads should be between the parent and child. And what about parents who want their kids to read widely and to learn about various cultures and lifestyles? Perhaps some of them will speak up on your behalf. Ask the school board if librarians can help create the new policy. Make sure that everyone understands that you have an obligation to serve all of your students, not just conservative ones. Hang tough. This may blow over.

Our midsize public library circulates loads of audiobooks, but lately, many of them have been challenged. When the local paper interviewed our library board chairman, he boldly declared that “children need to be reading, not listening to books.” Now the board wants to cut our audiobook budget.

I’m appalled by his comment. The library board’s role is to make policy not value judgments. Many families count on recorded books as a shared activity—ask them to appeal to your library board. Also, make sure that your board knows that the Association of Library Service for Children, a division of the American Library Association, publishes an annual list of “Notable Children’s Recordings,” which are selected by a committee of professionals from across the country that evaluates new releases for quality, performance, and relevance to children’s collections. Public libraries need to purchase these items to stay current with the best in children’s recordings.

My son’s high school English teachers have stopped recommending books for summer reading. They’ve had so many challenges to their list, they felt it wasn’t worth the hassle. That seems like the coward’s way out.

Most people, including teenagers, select books that have been recommended to them by teachers, librarians, or peers. It’s too bad that your son’s teachers are caving to what’s most likely a vocal minority. Ask the teachers to make a list of summer reading recommendations for your son. Better yet, solicit support from parents who think it’s important to provide kids with summer reading suggestions—that way, the teachers will hear some positive feedback about their past efforts.

There’s a child who never misses any of our small public library’s weekly storytimes. The problem is, her mother sits nearby and occasionally makes comments while I’m reading, which makes me nervous since she’s challenged some of our books. She’s starting to affect my selections for storytime.

Tell the mother that it’s terrific that she brings her child to storytime, but ask if she can busy herself in another part of the library during the program. You can simply say that sometimes having another adult in the room inhibits the way that kids respond to the story. You might also let her know ahead of time what book you’re planning to read, so she can decide if she wants her child to hear it. Also, offer her a volunteer job, such as shelving books or preparing materials for a special activity. If she becomes more involved in your program, she may see things differently. You are the professional. Do not let her dictate what you read.

Pat Scales is chair of the American Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee. You can send your questions or comments on censorship to her at pscales@bellsouth.net.

Elementary school students aren’t the novel’s intended audience. I have no doubt that some of your students are reading The Hunger Games because the movie is so hot right now. They’re also attracted to the book because many older siblings are reading it. Don’t worry. You aren’t censoring. It’s wise to base your purchasing decisions on the reviews you’ve read. A librarian has to make book-selection calls all the time, and reviews serve as our professional guidance tools.

One word of advice: I wouldn’t tell your students that they’re too young to read the novel. Instead, I’d say, “I’ve read The Hunger Games, and I think it’s exciting, but there’s not enough money in our budget to buy it. If you decide to read the story, I’d love to hear what you have to say about it.” If a parent asks you about The Hunger Games, I’d tell them it’s recommended for older readers.

A group of parents recently visited our private school and demanded to know if the library had any gay and lesbian books. We have And Tango Makes Three in the elementary school library, and Annie on My Mind in the middle and high school library. The parents haven’t filed a formal challenge, but they assured me they would if I didn’t remove those titles. What should I do?

I suspect that you’re in a fairly conservative community or you probably wouldn’t have this problem. Many private schools have a narrow mission statement to accommodate the families they want to attract. Don’t give in to those parents. Instead, let them file a challenge. I hope your school has a selection policy you can use to defend the titles. If not, now’s the perfect time to develop one. I’d suggest that you look at similar independent schools’ mission statements and selection policies as you create or tweak your own.

A group of parents appeared at the school board meeting and insisted that we remove all fairy tales from our elementary schools. Their complaint was that the violence and magic in most of these tales promote evil behavior. What should I do?

You didn’t tell me how the school board responded. I hope it had the good sense to let the parents know that fairy tales are classics, and their children will eventually have to call upon their knowledge of these tales when they’re referred to in other literature. Maybe you need to have a parent session and expose them to the many versions of popular fairy tales. I bet that will solve your problem.

My district offers eighth graders the option of taking ninth-grade honors English. Parents want their “accelerated” students in the class, but they don’t want them exposed to some of the required readings, such as Romeo and Juliet. The teacher is frustrated because she’s expected to teach the prescribed ninth-grade curriculum. What should I tell her?

Teach the curriculum. The parents have the option of taking their kids out of the class. If they want them “accelerated,” they have to accept all that goes with it.

I read a newspaper article about a South Carolina middle school teacher who was placed on leave because he read aloud in class excerpts from Ender’s Game, The Devil’s Paintbox, and Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case. Have you heard of other teachers who have gotten into similar trouble?

I’ve been following the press on this case. Placing a teacher on leave for reading aloud from a novel is a drastic move, unless there’s more to the story than we know. There have been other attempts to censor which books are read aloud, but I don’t know of another case in which a teacher has been disciplined in this way. I’ll keep you posted.