Scales on Censorship by Pat R. Scales

Author:Pat R. Scales
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781442250642
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

I’m a second-year librarian at a Catholic high school. Last week, my principal demanded that I remove both the Gossip Girl (Little Brown) and It Girl (Little Brown) series books from our shelves. I was worried that I’d be placed on probation or lose my job if I denied his request. He has no qualms about defending other books with “questionable” content, if they’re being taught by a teacher who can hold her students’ hands through the difficult passages. I feel like I caved in by removing the books. What should I have done? March 2008

Under the circumstances, I think you did the only thing that you could have done. Even the most radical free-speech proponents would never suggest that librarians do anything that would cause them to lose their jobs. It’s too bad that your principal doesn’t recognize that high school students need access to popular fiction for recreational reading. My guess is that he doesn’t feel these series promote the Christian values purported by the Catholic diocese. Remember, private school students don’t have the same First Amendment protection that public school students have. Since you’re in a parochial school, I doubt you’ll ever convince your principal of the value of these series. When students ask for the “Gossip Girl” series or the “It Girl” series books, you can direct them to the local public library.

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