‘You can’t know something’s missing if you don’t know it exists’

“‘You can’t know something’s missing if you don’t know it exists. And that, to me, is sort of the greatest tragedy about all of this’” (Albanese, 2022). Young Adult author Mark Oshiro uttered these remarks in regard to the removal of LGBTQIA+ stories from libraries and classroom shelves.

A statement like this really encapsulates the importance of building diverse library collections. We live, quite simply, in a diverse world and libraries reflect the societies of which they are a part. This importance is enshrined in the values of our profession. “Library collections must represent the diversity of people and ideas in our society” (AASL, 2018, p. 247).

Books offer readers a chance to see themselves reflected in the books they read. And books may offer a vocabulary with which to identify tendencies you are discovering within yourself. When someone first suggested that I had Asperger’s syndrome (a diagnostic identity that was later subsumed into the autism spectrum), reading a book that dealt with the subject in-depth was like reading my own biography.

When it comes to relating to people, I know that I am atypical. And I previously struggled to express or define my tendencies, because I lacked the vocabulary. It wasn’t until several years later that a validating label presented itself and let me know that there were other people like me.

As an aspiring youth librarian, I want young people to be able to find books that validate their experiences and their identities, whether those identities include race, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, social class: any area in which a reader may try to make sense of their place in our broader society and the ways in which they interact with and relate to the people who are closest to them.

I also want readers to have access to books that help them cultivate empathy by allowing them to read about people who are not just like them.

From our readings this week in LIS 5250 (University of Central Missouri): Derman-Sparks (2013) emphasizes that carefully choosing books for children is an “indispensable” task.

“[Children’s books] reflect the attitudes in our society about diversity, power relationships among different groups of people, and various social identities (e.g., racial, ethnic, gender, economic class, sexual orientation, and disability). The visual and verbal messages young children absorb from books (and other media) heavily influence their ideas about themselves and others. Depending on the quality of the book, they can reinforce (or undermine) children’s affirmative self-concept, teach accurate (or misleading) information about people of various identities, and foster positive (or negative) attitudes about diversity. Children’s books teach children about who is important, who matters, who is even visible” (ibid).

Derman-Sparks adds, “It is important to offer young children a range of books about people like them and their family—as well as about people who are different from them and their family” (ibid).

And it’s important for there to be more than just one narrative about people from minority backgrounds: what Adichie (2009) refers to as the “danger of the single story” to shape misleading and incomplete perceptions of people who are not like you.

Albanese (2022) shares this observation by author Lev AC Rosen: “‘Reading fiction, from the perspective of someone else allows you to see what the world might be like through their eyes and that gives you more empathy and more compassion for folks who have a different identity than you. That, I think is why people are going after books. Because books are telling kids that these perspectives are valid.’”

Willis (2016) offers a great takeaway, that “It is our responsibility, as librarians, to educate and inform our communities and our administrations about issues surrounding censorship, not to begin to censor our collections from within. If you are looking for a place to start, you needn’t go further than the Library Bill of Rights. Meanwhile, examine your selection procedures and be on the alert for ways in which you are committing ‘soft censorship’ by not selecting needed items in the first place. Decide whether your fear of conflict is more important than meeting your students’ needs. To be honest, librarianship is not a place for the faint of heart.”

Those words resonate with me, as I follow events at the federal level that are deeply troubling. Congressional Republicans have introduced a “national ‘don’t say gay’ bill,” that would “prohibit the use of federal funds to teach children about ‘sexually-oriented material’ as well as ‘any topic involving gender identity, gender dysphoria, transgenderism, sexual orientation, or related subjects’” (Levine, 2022).

How might such a bill impact my efforts to create a diverse collection? I want my library’s collection to mirror its community, and I know there are young people among my library’s readership who are LGBTQIA+, whether or not they ask for books with LGBTQIA+ content.

LGBTQIA+ identities can encompass gender identity and/or gender expression, and romantic inclination, as well as sexual orientation (Slater, 2017). And the American Library Association (n.d.) advises that “It is important to note that the LGBTQIA+ population is diverse, spanning age groups, ethnic and racial groups, socio-economic groups, and personal identities.”

It’s also important to understand that, as expressed by Dorr and Deskins (2018), allowing children to read stories that feature LGBTQIA+ characters “isn’t about exposing children to details of sexual practices; rather it’s about “understanding, empathy, acceptance, and respecting basic human rights” (Dorr & Deskins, 2018, p. xxii).

I don’t want to be the librarian who “justified not purchasing LGBTQAI+ books because they say students are not asking for them. Indeed, in settings with this sort of ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ attitude, questioning students might feel vulnerable and at risk were they to request such titles” (ibid, p. 102).

The fact is, young people are asking for these books, and I want to create a climate where young people feel safe in doing so. But a bill like the one being proposed by Congressional Republicans could make it very difficult to perform the essential work of a librarian. Levine (2022) points out that “The effects of such a law, if enacted, would be far-reaching since a range of institutions – schools, libraries, among them – receive public money.”

References:
Adichie, C.N. (2009, Oct. 7). The danger of a single story [Video]. TED. https://youtu.be/D9Ihs241zeg

Albanese, A. (2022, Oct. 26). Panel explores surge in book bans, policies targeting the LGBTQ community. Industry news: Libraries. Publishers Weekly. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/90740-panel-explores-surge-in-book-bans-policies-targeting-lgbtq-community.html

American Association of School Librarians. (2018). National school library standards for learners, school librarians, and school libraries. ALA Editions.

American Library Association. (n.d.) Libraries respond: Services to LGBTQIA+ people. Issues & advocacy: Equity, diversity & inclusion. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/diversity/librariesrespond/Services-LGBTQ

Derman-Sparks, L. (2013). Guide for selecting anti-bias children’s books. Social Justice Books. https://socialjusticebooks.org/guide-for-selecting-anti-bias-childrens-books/

Dorr, C. & Deskins, L. (2018). LGBTQAI+ books for children and teens. ALA Editions.

Levine, S. (2022, Oct. 20). Republicans aim to pass national ‘don’t say gay’ law. The guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/20/republicans-national-dont-say-gaw-law-lgbtq

Slater, D. (2017). The 57 bus: A true story of two teenagers and the crime that changed their lives. Farrar Straus Giroux.

Willis, R. (2016, June 16). When the censorship comes from within: Reflections on Kate Messner being dis-invited to a school. News & features. School Library Journal. https://www.slj.com/story/when-the-censorship-comes-from-within-reflections-on-kate-messner-being-dis-invited-to-a-school