2018 School Spending Survey Report
SLJ Regrets an Error, Updates Reviewer Guidelines
SLJ has corrected a serious error, which appeared in a 2013 review of Tim Tharp's audiobook Mojo.
"[This review] contains the line: 'Alcohol and drug use, swearing, lesbian relationships, strippers, and more combine to make this choice most appropriate for high school students.' While I understand the value of enumerating the contents of a book so that librarians can make informed purchasing choices, we take exception to the inclusion of "lesbian relationships" being equated with drug use and swearing, and meriting a more mature audience simply by existing. People are not mature content, and it's harmful to LGBTQIA+ teens to equate their existence with mature content. It hypersexualizes them and underscores the harmful belief that LGBTQIA+ people are sex-first, people second. Gender and orientation aren't synonymous with sex. I'm writing to ask that you reconsider your review guidelines and that your reviews editors be aware of this issue when vetting reviews before publication. LGBTQIA+ teens are desperate to see themselves reflected in their books. When their mere existence is labeled mature content, it diminishes the chances they'll actually get the books they so desperately need."
We couldn't agree more. The fact of a person or character's sexual orientation or gender identity should never be used as a warning or a means of limiting potential audience. We deeply regret the error and apologize to our readership. We have corrected the review, eliminating the mention of "lesbian relationships" in the above-mentioned line and sent the updated review to all of our licensee partners. The revised version will also appear shortly on our review resource Book Verdict. 
SLJ's reviewers and editors pride ourselves on creating content that helps librarians build diverse and inclusive collections, reflective of the rich experiences of a wide array of readers. To further that goal, we recently offered an eight-week online course for all SLJ and LJ (Library Journal, our sister publication) reviewers on the topic of diversity and cultural literacy. We've also begun internal sensitivity training for our review editors, including a training session on inclusive language. We have also updated our Reviewer Guidelines to include a section on what does and does not constitute "mature content" for children or teens and will continue to offer training opportunities for our corps of SLJ reviewers on this and related topics. We encourage our readers to contact us with concerns or suggestions about this or any other reviews. 
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Comment Policy:
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Adrian Kasper
By the way, satire is satire and it's all on topic. There is no vulgarity present and there are no attacks of individuals. This respects the comment policy.Posted : Dec 15, 2016 11:33
Adrian Kasper
Edit: deleted any comments that might be considered offensive. I would like to formally register my critique of SLJ's review of Tim Tharp's audiobook, Mojo as well. It contains the sentence: "Alcohol and drug use, swearing, lesbian relationships, strippers, and more combine to make this choice most appropriate for high school students." I take offense to the inclusion of alcohol and drug use, strippers and swearing being equated with "lesbian relationships." My mother was a world-renowned stripper and from an early age I was taught to appreciate the particular aesthetics of her and her peers stage gyrations. Even the particulate matter floating among the drool which pooled beneath the agape mouths of the many sailors who attended her shows became a thing of decided beauty for me to behold. I knew then as I know now, that this was simply a performance art form, eccentric sure, but delicate and nuanced. The popular notion of strippers being synonymous with sex is a harmful and cutting attack, which we as professionals should no longer be a party to. By the by, it was one of these sailors, the burly Charles Fuddle, who fathered me. His square chin and muscled physique were certainly a point of interest for my mother and after a night of passion, I was conceived. Charles' impressions on me truly made me the enlightened, upstanding man-about-town that I am today. It was he who taught me the careful methods of how to drink the proper amount of whiskey at the tender age of five. He was a consummate wordsmith and his advice and admonitions to me were always delectably peppered with the most delightful execrations. There was always a "F$%@* this" and a "LGBTQIA+ that" I could count on to guide me in the most appropriate manner when I was a young lad. At the age of seven, I set sail with my dear Pa to see the wonders of Southeast Asia to chase the proverbial dragon. It was those valuable years of measured, responsible introduction to opium that allowed me to pen my award-winning first novel, "The Great Seas Dilemma" Where would I be without all of this? It's high time that we in the librarian community take an ethical approach to relaying the age-appropriateness of these most esteemed of endeavors; drug and alcohol use, strippers, and of course swearing! It's not as if these things are comparable to lesbianism. Ms. Mitchell decries the review in her letter by stating that "Gender and orientation aren’t synonymous with sex..." Contra Ms. Mitchell, I would point to Webster's Third New International Dictionary which defines lesbian thusly, "reputed sensuality of the Lesbian people and literature: highly sensual: EROTIC."Posted : Dec 15, 2016 11:28
Adrian Kasper
[This comment has been removed because it violates our comment policy.]Posted : Dec 15, 2016 10:55
Laura Kaul
As a school librarian, I welcome ALL information I can be given in a reveiw. If there is any sexual content, regardless of type, I would like to be informed ahead of time so that I can descern its placement (I work in a K-12 school library). Label it what you will in a review, but please tell me anything that will be useful in order to make sure I can determine the appropriateness for the wide variety of grades which I service. A summary alone just doesn't cut it.Posted : Dec 07, 2016 12:24
Sarah Hamburg
No, this is what happens when a publication takes such criticisms and concerns seriously, and offers a substantive response. I assume that your comment refers to discussion of the VOYA review. The only difference in that case is in how the publication chose to respond. Your comment not only belittles those who have put themselves forward to point out this continued bias in reviewing, it also discredits SLJ.Posted : Oct 23, 2016 03:05
gavin
This is what happens when the person who reaches out to a review company sends a polite, articulate inquiry that addresses the issue at hand respectfully, rather than just screaming "how dare you" and raving on twitter for a month.Posted : Oct 22, 2016 08:18