Comments on: Banned Books in Brooklyn

By: West Bend Citizen Advocate

West Bend Citizen Advocate — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:56:32 +0000

Lurker:

TOUCHE!

By: Lurker

Lurker — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:32:46 +0000

I wonder whether Herge can be dismissed as easily as some want to do here. When I studied in Germany all the children I knew liked him and/or had his books. To all appearances they are considered there what we would call here children’s classics. Even my German teacher stateside bought audio dramatizations of the stories for her daughter. And this is Germany. I am sure he is also highly regarded in the Franch speaking areas – and this in spite of the fact that he worked on some of his stories during the Nazi occupation and faced charges of collaboration after the war.
As for whether placing a book in a safe constitutes censorhip, let them place Heather Has Two Mommies, or something similar, in there, publicize the fact, and see whether there is an outcry.

By: Mr. Tadakichi

Mr. Tadakichi — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:13:41 +0000

You know, it’s possible that they’re keeping it under lock and key because they’re afraid it’ll get stolen or destroyed. Our library has a number of books behind the reference desk for the same reason. We don’t mind people looking at them, we just want to make sure they come back.

By: k3cs2

k3cs2 — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 08:29:22 +0000

LibrarEwoman: I’ll put that on my list of parental things to do in my spare time.

By: NewLibrarian

NewLibrarian — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 10:58:42 +0000

I check around a little. Brooklyn Public’s holding are described above. NYPL has the book “OFFSITE – request in advance.” It’s checked out and was due back on May 18, 2009. Queens doesn’t have it at all. Nassau County doesn’t have it at all. Suffolk County only has the 1991 English translation. Westchester doesn’t have it. The nearest university library that has it, according to WorldCat, is Temple University in Phliadelphia. So, if you’re in New York and you’re a scholar doing research, or a French-speaking racist, the only place to get access to the book is in Brooklyn. Brooklyn wins.

By: Jacqueline Seewald

Jacqueline Seewald — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 06:52:15 +0000

I also read the article in The N.Y. Times on the banned book in Brooklyn Library with both interest and concern. When my novel THE INFERNO COLLECTION was published by Five Star in hardcover and Wheeler in large print, I received comments such as why would I write a book with a theme about inferno collections since banned book collections are such a thing of the past. Obviously, that is not the case. Librarians do still consider themselves “gatekeepers.” That Victorian concept has not left us. The fact is that some books are downright offensive. But should we keep them from the public?
One way of controlling what books are available to patrons is simply through acquisitions, what librarians choose to make available. This question is at the very heart of librarianship.

Jacqueline Seewald
THE DROWNING POOL, Five Star 2009
THE INFERNO COLLECTION, Five Star 2007, Wheeler large print 2008

By: ace

ace — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:43:32 +0000

In 2008, Carnegie Corporation of New York awarded the American Library Association (ALA) $489,000 to support the award, which will continue annually through 2013. The award continues in the tradition of one The New York Times presented from 2001 to 2006.

Last year, more than 3,200 library users nationwide nominated a librarian, and 10 librarians received the award. For more information on last year’s winners, visit ilovelibraries.org/ilovemylibrarian.

The award is administered by ALA’s Public Information Office and Campaign for America’s Libraries, ALA’s public awareness campaign that promotes the value of libraries and librarians.

Carnegie Corp. of New York was created by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote “the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding.” For more than 95 years, the foundation has carried out its founder’s vision of philanthropy by building on his two major concerns: international peace and advancing education and knowledge. Each year, the private grant-making foundation invests more than $100 million in nonprofit organizations to fulfill Mr. Carnegie’s mission, “to do real and permanent good in this world.

By: Ellen

Ellen — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:35:57 +0000

So, it was published 80 years ago. I wonder if BPL bought it when it was published? If they did, the onus falls partly on my aunt Ruth McEvoy, who was a librarian in the BPL children’s division at that time.

By: librarEwoman

librarEwoman — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 09:10:37 +0000

Why not just move the book from the children’s collection to the adult collection, as opposed to moving it to a locked room which patrons can only access upon request? I agree with many of the previous commenters; this book represents a part of our history. It may not be a part of which we are proud, but we nonetheless need to look back on that part of history and learn from it. I understand why parents would not want young children reading this book without the critical skills necessary to understand its historical context in relation to the present. So why not put it in an area where patrons can still find it on the shelf, but adults will be more likely to find it? Honestly, I think parents should purposely get these types of books for their kids to see when they are ready, and then get books which show the modern perceptions of Africans and their relationship to Europeans and whites. They can then compare and contrast and have a discussion with their kids about these issues. If books like Tintin are locked away in a “by appointment only” room, this is much less likey to happen.

By: librarymojo

librarymojo — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:23:44 +0000

There is a distinction to make between restricting books for children vs. banning books altogether.

I’ve never seen this book, but for argument’s sake, let’s say that it’s as OTT racist as the other posters are saying. A child has nothing to learn from this.

If you’ve ever read Blink, you’ll have heard about how most racist attitudes are primarily created from exposure to negative stereotypes, and that racist attitudes are assuaged by exposure to positive images of people of different races.

This book should be kept and made available for historical purposes, but to say that having access to materials that contain racist stereotypes will foster ‘intellectual freedom’ is ridiculous.