As a classroom teacher in the TL role in my school, I am slowly getting to know the content of literature available to students. Having subscribed to the Australian Scholastic Standing Orders I get first hand interactions with new literature needing inclusion into our school library collection. These books are often well known texts familiar to students, short listed and notable texts evident in literary award lists, such as CBCA, or books by familiar authors such as Aaron Blabey and Anh Do to name a few.

As I set myself the challenge to read a number of texts so that I can promote and suggest reading material to my students with familiarity and understanding, I also find myself subconsciously dismissing texts as inappropriate for my students. I hadn’t quite taken note of this consciousness until the idea was suggested in the reading material: What influences my choice in including or censoring texts from the library?

The reading habits of my students certainly influence the inclusion of popular series such as Ninja Kid, Bad Guys and Alice-Mirand to name a few. Familiar authors such as those mentioned earlier add to the influence. But what about censorship? I have often been open with my students encouraging them to provide suggestions for new content for our school library and on a few occasions I have silently dismissed a few ideas. Ideas I thought weren’t considered ‘great’ reading material. But was I right to do so? How did I come to this conclusion? Certainly my age, my cultural understanding of ‘what is right’, my knowledge of colleagues approvals and thoughts on text choice influence my decision to include or dismiss new texts.

The Reading Bill of Rights certainly challenges my perceptions and intentions. In a primary school setting, I do need to be selective to ensure literature is age appropriate, relevant and meaningful for my students. I also need to ensure there are texts that will engage all my readers from all their varying backgrounds.

As I add a range of texts to my collection, thoughts of the students interests are increasingly at the forefront of my mind. When I better understand the recommendations made by students, I can familiarise myself with new literature of a similar theme, style and structure. Aiming to partner students with a book that is within their reading capabilities will continue to foster a love of reading.