I was primarily concerned about the euro-centric bias of indigenous Australians history material for my ancient history class (8 April, 2024). However, my librarian work at a private girls’ school has seen parental complaints over certain titles. This has prompted me to consider the accuracy of a selection criteria. In terms of censorship, I was surprised to find that books inciting the most objections globally were those that dealt with because LGBTQI+ relationships (Favaloro, 2014), whereas before I would have connected censorship with the level of sexual content and violence in a book. Yet parents have expressed their concern over books that deal with teenage suicide or mental health issues, such as ‘13 reasons why’ by Jay Asher, or ‘The perks of being a wallflower’ by Stephen Chbosky.  

The popularity of such novels has given birth to the genre term ‘sick-lit.’ Mental trauma is controversial content, but is the problem its existence in the book, or does it matter how it is described? For example, in the Harry Potter series, it is logical to imagine that the main characters should be traumatised from their adventures, yet this trauma is never addressed. Does then trauma become an issue when it is vicerally represented in a book, so that the reader experiences the same as they read, but without describing the recovery? Scrofano (2019) concludes that the majority of sick-lit is problematic in this was as it focusses on the character suffering from major disruption from mental health symptoms without showing any process of recovery and working through their suffering and advises that it would be necessary in young adult fiction as a teaching point. Elman (2012) adds that there is a deficit of young adult fiction demonstrating how to deal with their emotions rather than how to feel them. Lawler (2017) reports on the opinion that this type of narrative focussing on suffering but not recovery has been created deliberately to be provocative or sensationalised. 

This point would have serious repercussions on selection criteria, which will always be a subjective decision as it is impossible to define how relatable a reader can find the narrative. It would also put heavy responsibility on the teacher librarian as the interpreter of such selection criteria with such works of fiction. Recently questions also have been raised about the provision of Colleen Hoover’s work, who very much ‘blurs the line between young adult and adult fiction’ (Bacon, 2024) as her writing has been accused of glorifying the traumatic subjects of abuse, mental illness and drugs (Foster, 2023) which would make her problematic when compared to a selection criteria. However, the fact is that her books are amongst the most popular in the library, and therefore her work does appear to be driving the wider reading for pleasure of students who were typically reluctant readers. This matches Binns (2024) point over where is the correct balance between protecting students and encourage them with their wider reading.  

Does the self-censorship with Dawkins (2018) and Clarke (2024) discuss become problematic as well when the generational gap between librarians and readers becomes more visible. For example, I have considered if the recent trend of censorship and the banning of books is down to a global trend of dramatically increasing political polarisation (Gu & Wang, 2021; Kleinfeld, 2023; Lambert, 2022) and if I might need to take this into account with the selection criteria section of a Collection Development Policy in the future. My understanding of the role of school library collections has changed in that collection management seems to revolve unexpectedly around the issue of bias and censorship. In turn, would this make collection management a much more dynamic process than at present (19 May, 2024) and that monitoring books in anticipation of challenges to the selection become a more regular occurrence? Would this also mean that there is a gap in the market for a selection aid that would help material selection based on political leanings? (8 April, 2024b).  

References

Bacon, K. (2024, April 30). Re: Forum 6.2 post [Online forum post]. Interact. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?course_id=_71809_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&requestType=unread_user_forum&conf_id=_150287_1&action=collect_forward&origRequestId=549205860_1716375444322&forum_id=_334909_1&status=unread& 

Binns, J. (2024, May 3). Censorship [Online forum post]. Interact.https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?course_id=_71809_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&requestType=unread_user_forum&conf_id=_150287_1&action=collect_forward&origRequestId=548811630_1716196827755&forum_id=_334909_1&status=unread 

Clarke, B. (2024, May 5). Key takeaways from the readings on Censorship [Online forum post]. Interact. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?course_id=_71809_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&requestType=unread_user_forum&conf_id=_150287_1&action=collect_forward&origRequestId=549205860_1716375444322&forum_id=_334909_1&status=unread& 

Favaloro, R. In ‹ My bona fide TL journey is only just beginning. . . — WordPress. (2024, April 28). https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/rebeccafavaloro/2024/04/28/etl503-module-4-censorship/ 

Foster, K. (2023). The controversy of Colleen Hoover. The Arrow. https://www.southeastarrow.com/entertainment/the-controversy-of-colleen-hoover-2982211 

Gu, Y., & Wang, Z. (2021). Income inequality and global Political polarization: The economic origin of political polarization in the world. Journal of Chinese Political Science/Chinese Journal of Political Science, 27(2), 375–398. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11366-021-09772-1 

Kleinfeld, R. (2023). Polarisation, Democracy, and Political Violence in the United States: What the Research Says. Carnegie Endowment for Internation Peace. https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2023/09/polarization-democracy-and-political-violence-in-the-united-states-what-the-research-says?lang=en 

Lambert, N. J. (2022). Collections under Fire: When the culture war comes for the school library. American Libraries, 53(6), 59. https://www.proquest.com/trade-journals/collections-under-fire-when-culture-war-comes/docview/2672786755/se-2 

Lawler, K. (2017, May 6). Is 13 Reasons Why more controversial than other pop culture depictions of suicide? The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/is-13-reasons-why-more-controversial-than-other-pop-culture-depictions-of-suicide-

Collection management is a dynamic process combining the actions of qualified colleague communication, coordination and organisation alongside policy reviews (Johnson, 2009) where the library acquires its resources based on needs analyses, stock-taking and a thorough review of the collection (Oddone, 2019). This has thus become more complicated in the digital age with the inclusion of internet content and now AI and Chat GPT to the library’s collection (Gregory, 2019), making the strict following of well-defined protocols more important (Acquisition and Collection Development Section – IFLA, n.d.).

More sophisticated methods of measuring library use in terms of physically and electronically need to be depended on to analyse and understand which resources are the most valued. This can be achieved by analysing physical loan data within the library, and even comparing it to inter-library loan requests can additionally help librarians identify gaps in the collection and adjust acquisitions and subscriptions accordingly (Yang, 2020). Following this, librarians can keep records of user inquiries and requests to indicate which materials are in demand (Yang, 2020). As education increasingly prioritizes digital literacy and the integration of technology, school libraries may dedicate a considerable portion of their budgets to procuring digital materials, online databases, e-books, and technology infrastructure (School Library Funding, Staffing, and Resourcing – a 10-year Review, 2020).

Looking at database usage statistics and website analytics, which can provide insights into which resources are the most needed (Henczel, 2005). Library user feedback, individual or in focus groups, collected in the form of survey results can reveal conclusions over resource use, as well as users’ satisfaction with the collection (Loh, 2023). On a more scientific note, heat map analysis can highlight physical areas of engagement in the library, helping librarians identify popular resources and areas for improvement (Khoo, 2017). 

Acquisition and Collection Development Section – IFLA. (n.d.). https://www.ifla.org/units/acquisition-collection-development/   

Henczel, S. (2005). Measuring and Evaluating the Library’s Contribution to Organisational Success – Developing a Strategic Measurement Model. Performance Measurement and Metrics, 7(16), 7–16. https://doi.org/10.1108/14678040610654819 

Johnson, P. (2009). “1: Introduction to Collection Management and Development”. Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management (2 ed.). Chicago, IL: The American Library Association.

Khoo, M. (2017). Heat Map visualizations of seating patterns in an academic library. Temple. https://www.academia.edu/33597201/Heat_Map_Visualizations_of_Seating_Patterns_in_an_Academic_Library 

Loh, C. E. (2023). Designing Future-Ready School Libraries: Empowering Stakeholders for Evidence-Based Change. Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association, 72(3), 294–305. https://doi.org/10.1080/24750158.2023.2231229 

Oddone, K. (2019). School library collection development: it’s not as simple as you thinking. Linking Learning. https://www.linkinglearning.com.au/school-library-collection-development-its-not-as-simple-as-you-might-think/ 

School library funding, staffing, and resourcing – a 10-year review. (2020, September 4). https://www.softlinkint.com/blog/10YearReview-SchoolLibrarySurvey/ 

Yang, J. (2020). Analysis of concentrations of loans by using book circulation data in Korea University Library. Publications, 8(4), 53. https://doi.org/10.3390/publications8040053 

After reading Morrisey (2008) it occurred to me that many of the ethical issues that were mentioned actually concerned the use of the library by other staff within the school, and the role that they might play in a positive or negative sense to the collection development of the library. I think it is an interesting idea to think of the school library as a resource and a meeting point for everybody in a school; and how staff might see the library as an additional facility to enjoy, as with a school’s sports facilities per se. At the girl’s private school that I work at, I have noticed that staff are often given the first choice of new books, receive a listing detailing the next delivery of books so they can reserve desired items ahead of time, and also they enjoy unlimited borrowing, without the time deadline that the students have to comply with.  I wonder if this would be seen as an ethical issue, although on the other hand, I do feel that the high quantity of staff being seen by the students enthusiastically using the library and discussing books can only encourage the use of the library further amongst the students.

Morrisey, L. J. (2008). Ethical issues in collection development. Journal of Library Administration, 47(3-4), 163-171.