Scales On Censorship

Scales on Censorship: Real Life Lessons from School Library Journal contains Pat R. Scales collected columns, all written in response to active book challenges or questions of intellectual freedom and library ethics. These columns have a ripped from the headlines immediacy even as they reflect the core values and policies of librarianship. They are organized by topic and each is framed with a brief new introductory essay. Scales’ powerful reputation and practical ethically-based solutions has made her a key spokesperson and support for librarians working under a censorship siege.

As a standard-bearer for intellectual freedom, the school librarian is in an ideal position to collaborate with teachers to not only protect the freedom to read but also ensure that valued books with valuable lessons are not quarantined from the readers for whom they were written.

This authoritative handbook gives you the information you need to defend challenged books with an informed response and ensure free access to young book lovers. With a profile of each book that includes its plot and characters, related materials and published reviews, awards and prizes, and Web and audiovisual resources, you will be prepared to answer even the toughest attacks.

Censorship! The word itself sparks debate, especially when the context is the public school. Since the publication of the second edition of this landmark book in 1993, wired classrooms, legal challenges, and societal shifts have changed the landscape for the free exchange of ideas. Completely revised and updated, this new edition remains the most comprehensive guide for protecting the freedom to read in schools: For school librarians and media specialists, teachers, and administrators, Reichman covers the different media (including books, school newspapers, and the Internet), the important court cases (including recent litigations involving Harry Potter, the Internet, and Huck Finn), the issues in dispute (including violence, religion, and profanity), and how the laws on the books can be incorporated into selection policies. An entire chapter is devoted to troubleshooting and answering the question of What do we do if...? Look no further for the best and most specific information on providing access and facing challenges to intellectual freedom. You'll find answers if you are asking questions like these: * What is the distinction between making selection decisions and censoring?

Keep Them Reading is a concise handbook for teachers, librarians, administrators, and district personnel about how to prevent censorship in a school or district—and what to do if it happens. Written by two award-winning authors who have devoted much of their careers to anti-censorship work, this book discusses the overall importance of reading in all academic endeavors and demonstrates how challenges and censorship can derail even the best literacy program. Each chapter contains practical tools, advice, and resources for building understanding about issues of intellectual freedom and for creating a plan to help all parties work through challenges before they turn into damaging censorship incidents. The last chapter contains advice from authors who have dealt with censorship, such as Judy Blume, and experts on the subject, such as Joan Bertin, executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship. Book Features: Procedures for dealing with censorship challenges before they arise. Protocols to help teachers and librarians meet challenges and resist censorship. Samples of actual letters teachers can use to defend their selection of a text. Detailed suggestions for conducting meetings with parents and district personnel. Helpful lists of books dealing with censorship, relevant court cases, and national organizations offering support and resources. “The first academic freedom book of 2013 . . . an excellent one.” —Read the article on the Huffington Post Education Blog “There are no easy answers, but there are lessons to be learned from the ‘good fight’ of classroom teachers who have been victims of the censorship wars. . . . Keep Them Reading offers sage advice and guidance about what to do when the censor calls.” —From the Foreword by Pat Scales, past president, ALSC American Library Association “Sooner or later every reading and literature teacher will encounter someone who wants to limit students' experiences with a text Keep Them Reading lays out a very common-sense pro-active mechanism that is both respectful of parents and community values and students' and teachers' rights. Every teacher and administrator should read this handbook and then establish the processes that Lent and Pipkin recommend.” —Nancy G. Patterson, co-editor, Language Arts Journal of Michigan, Associate Professor, Literacy Studies, College of Education, Grand Valley State University “The real heroes are the librarians and teachers who, at no small risk to themselves, refuse to lie down and play dead for censors.” —Bruce Coville, bestselling author “The topic of this book—censorship—can strike fear in any educator's heart. So it is a delightful surprise that what seeps through these pages is love: love for the families whose concerns for their children, Pipkin and Lent remind us, are occasions for respectful engagement; and, above all, a deep love for books and the readers who are comforted, challenged, transported, and transformed by them.” —Maja Wilson, author of Rethinking Rubrics in Writing Assessment

"Powerful and poetic." —John David Anderson, author of Posted and Ms. Bixby's Last Day Elise carries a notebook full of tallies, each page marking a day spent at her new public school, each stroke of her pencil marking a word spoken. A word that can't be taken back. Five tally marks isn't so bad. Two is pretty good. But zero? Zero is perfect. Zero means no wrong answers called out in class, no secrets accidentally spilled, no conversations to agonize over at night when sleep is far away. But now months have passed, and Elise isn't sure she could speak even if she wanted to—not to keep her only friend, Mel, from drifting further away—or to ask if anyone else has seen her English teacher's stuffed raven come to life. Then, the discovery of a shocking family secret helps Elise realize that her silence might just be the key to unlocking everything she's ever hoped for... Praise for After Zero: "This tender and truthful book stays with you long after the words have gone." —Patricia Forde, author of The List "A must read. After Zero reminds us of so many loved ones of those suffering from anxiety or depressive disorders. It is a story that will hopefully foster empathy and maybe even communication with our 'quiet' peers." —Wesley King, author of OCDaniel

Articles examine the history and evolution of censorship, presented in A to Z format.

In ancient Greece lives a little girl called Medusa Jones, a Gorgon. Medusas sure the school camping trip is going to be a nightmare. A rock fall puts the popular kids in peril, and Medusas the only one who can help. Will she be a hero--or is her monster side finally going to come out? Illustrations.