[Original posting on this topic appeared in COLLDV-L no. 1739 and is
reproduced below; the responses follow it.]
Date: Wed, 29 Apr 1998 16:27:21 -0800
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From: "Lynn F. Sipe" <lsipe_at_calvin.usc.edu>
To: COLLDV-L_at_usc.edu
Subject: no.1739-GAY & LESBIAN MATERIALS FOR YOUTH IN LIBS.
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Status: U
From: Joan McColley <mccolley_at_qadas.com>
Hi Everyone,
I have been lurking on your listserv for the past few weeks and I now
have a question for you. I am a graduate student currently in a
Collection Development class. I am trying to write a paper on the issue
of gay and lesbian materials for youth in the library. Do any of you
have any thoughts on this sometime controversial subject?
What does your library's collection development policy say about the
materials, if anything? Do you think that librarians in your library
censor these materials for one reason or the other? Do you think
patrons who are offended by them make sure the items are lost so no one
else will see them?
I would appreciate any input you can give. Thank you in advance.
Joan McColley
Emporia State University
Denver Distance Program
(1)====================================================================
From: "Earl W. Lee" <ewayne_at_mail.pittstate.edu>
Interestingly enough, I just had a major confrontation with two staff
members last week over Waugh's _Hard to Imagine_, a history of gay erotic
published by Columbia Univ. Press.
Out of the blue, the tech services librarian appeared at my desk and asked,
"Why are we spending $75 on this crap, when we don't have enough money to
buy library supplies?" The two things are, of course, unrelated. Further,
the book in question is a scholarly history, not "porno" by any sense... no
glossy pictures, no pictures more than half the size of a regular page,
just black & white ills. that support the text.
I basically responded that the decision was mine, as the Coll. Dev.
Librarian, and that was the end of it.
Then the tech services librarian complained to some of the other classified
civil service staff, and then came back to report to me that they all
agreed with her (of course none of them actually looked at the book).
An hour later the serials assistant showed up at my desk, very agitated,
and asked me why we wasted money on this crap when there were serials that
we couldn't afford to buy (ignoring of course that the serials budget has
grown in leaps and bounds while the monograph budget has been static for at
least fifteen years--not counting inflation--not to mention that we have
put a lot of money recently into electronic access to periodicals). She
threatened to write a letter complaining about this purchase.
Then the tech services librarian showed up at my desk (again) to complain.
This time I asked her if she would have complained if the book had been a
gift. She said no, she wouldn't have complained about a gift. At that
point I pulled out my checkbook and wrote out a check for $75 to the
library. That was the end of that (at least for the moment), although I
think that the classified staff are planning to put up the idea of having
some kind of review board to oversee my selections (if I make the mistake
of buying such a book again).
It's amazing how much anger is generated by the puchase of gay & lesbian
materials (I got a similar barrage of complaints last year over a book of
lesbian photography).
Part of the problem is that books that include "erotic" photography are
often mutilated. Many of these books are gifts, but if I buy replacement
copies the staff get bent out of shape about, again, "Wasting money on this
crap."
Earl Lee
ewayne_at_mail.pittstate.edu
(2)===================================================================
From: Carole McCollough <ab8057_at_wayne.edu>
As an academic library with a research collection, these type materials are
collected for the same reason as other less controversial materials are
collected, to provide significant, qualitative, representative, core and/or
unique publications from the years' output.
CJMccollough,@wayne.edu(Dr. Carole J. McCollough, Associate Dean)
University Library System, 3109 Undergraduate Library, Wayne State University
Detroit, MI 48202 USA. Phone: 313/577-6201 Fax: 577-5525
(3)======================================================================
From: Faye Chadwell <chadwelf_at_OREGON.UOREGON.EDU>
The University of Oregon does not collect many children's titles because it
doesn't fit our curriculum and research needs on campus. Please understand
that my viewpoint reflects experience in an academic setting.
I believe some librarians would censor these materials, but what I think
occurs more often is that librarians assume someone else will select or pay
attention to these materials--perhaps the token glb librarian. Such
ghettoization represents characteristic treatment (perhaps) of many diverse
or multicultural areas, in my opinion. I like to believe that overall our
profession has improved since 20 years ago. Some may welcome that
attitude; others would deem it naive.
Dealing with glb titles is complex because of conflicting interests and
concerns. The area of glb publishing has mushroomed and this growth,
coupled with library users asking for glb titles, is very hard for us to
ignore. It is also hard to ignore groups like the Family Friendly
Libraries who have attacked our professional organization, ALA. For more
info, read the document "Homosexual Ideology within the Library System," at
their website (http://www.fflibraries.org/Schell.htm). Finally, it is hard
to ignore that report that stated 1 out of 3 teenage suicides was a glb
youth. (c1991-92?)
For me, glb children's books and their censorship has been one of the most
important intellectual freedom issues in the 1990s. It will probably remain
one of the key issues as we move into the next millenium. The State of
Oregon is potentially looking at yet another anti-gay ballot measure,
entitled "The Family Act." This act attempts to define the family as "one
man and One woman in a marriage covenant and their children, if any ,
generationally, both natural and adopted, or the surviving members thereof."
In essence, no gay or lesbian marriages and no unmarried heterosexual
partnerships with children. The proposed ballot measure (they are still
collecting signatures) also has a clause which focuses on libraries. This
clause attempts to outline briefly how the "Family Act" might affect public
libraries--"subject to present U.S. Constitutional precedent as well as
local community standards established through the library review process for
books, literature and materials."
Leslea Newman, author of several children's books including Heather Has Two
Mommies, just spoke on our campus last night. Perhaps the only other glb
children's title more controversial than hers is Daddy's Roommate by Michael
Wilhoite. She mentioned that many librarians had written to her stating
that the title Heather had either been stolen/lost or patrons checked it out
and returned it with the pages glued together. Such destruction of library
materials is not a new tactic of those opposing viewpoints or ideas in
library books and it is not used solely against glb titles.
I hope you get a chance to come to ALA this summer in DC. There are two
programs scheduled that will deal with library materials for glb youth:
"What Have You Done for Me Lately?" Lesbian and Gay Youth Speak Out,"
Monday, June 29, 10:30 a.m.–Noon, sponsored by ALA Social Responsibilities
Round Table, Gay,Lesbian, Bisexual Task Force; YALSA; ALSC; PLA; and AASL
"Down the Road from the Car Crash: Gay/Lesbian Books for a Post- Post-
Stonewall Generation," Sunday, June 30, 9:30–11 a.m., sponsored by YALSA-
Young Adult Library Services Association
Faye A. Chadwell
Head of Collection Development
University of Oregon Library System
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1299
541-346-1819
fax 541-346-3485
chadwelf_at_oregon.uoregon.edu
also chair of ALA SRRT Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Book Award Cmte
Received on Tue Jun 02 1998 - 09:04:26 EDT