A library that has a sudden increase in the number of challenges is likely the target of an organized group. It’s frustrating to deal with such groups because they mobilize via the Internet and are relentless. I’m sure you must have a selection policy that includes a reconsideration process. This should be followed to a tee. Require that those bringing the challenges complete the form in its entirety. My bet is that these people haven’t read the books. They have a right to challenge, but they don’t have a right to control the way the library serves its patrons.

I sense that the library director is simply tired of constantly dealing with challenges, but to merge the collections would not solve the problem. What would happen to the teen program if this were done? Would teens even want to come to the library if identifying interesting books is so difficult? Teens need to be embraced, not dismissed.

Hopefully the library board will leave this decision to the professional staff. Does the library have a policy on labeling? New issues related to labeling are cropping up in public and school libraries. The American Library Association is currently updating its statement on labeling and will eventually make it available on the Office of Intellectual Freedom website. It can serve as a guide for libraries as they update polices.

I’m sure the women’s organization has good intentions, but labeling books is a slippery slope. Male readers may not give books like Christopher Paul Curtis’s The Mighty Miss Malone (Random, 2012), Kate DiCamillo’s Because of Winn-Dixie (Candlewick, 2005), or Jacqueline Kelly’s The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (Holt, 2009) a chance if they are labeled with a girl symbol. Suggest that the library provide a bibliography of books with strong female characters for the organization to distribute to members or on their website if they have one. Let them know that the library will work with them and provide a display for Women’s History Week in March. Suggest that the organization develop a brochure that lists such titles and place it in bookstores in town.

This site actually uses graphs to rate books for “Mature Content,” which includes a detailed graph for Profanity, Sexual Content, Violence/Illegal Activity, Tobacco/Alcohol/Drugs, and Disrespectful/Anti-Social Behavior. The ultra-conservative organization appears to target books typically used in the English or Language Arts curriculum. Take time to peruse the site, and you will quickly see that these “reviewers” don’t really know the books, because according to them, To Kill a Mockingbird won the Caldecott Medal and the main character is 12. There are no illustrations in To Kill a Mockingbird, and the character telling the story is an adult remembering an event that happened when she was six.

Ask teachers to look up every book they teach, and take note of misinformation. Then ask for a meeting with the superintendent. Let him know that teachers know the literature better than the folks at Facts on Fiction, and assure him that they know how to present it to students. This may seem time consuming, but it may be the only way to win this battle. Encourage teachers to ask students to think about the issues that organizations like Facts on Fiction have with books they study. Trust their intelligence to analyze the literature and express their personal opinions, orally and through writing assignments, regarding each work. There will be varying reactions, but literature is intended to make readers think.