Comments on: A Bad Book Challenge http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/2012/07/18/a-bad-book-challenge/ Whatever It Is, I'm Against It Tue, 21 Oct 2014 02:31:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5 By: Paula http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/2012/07/18/a-bad-book-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-156993 Paula Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:44:31 +0000 http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/?p=1486#comment-156993 No, library sections have nothing to do with reading level. Lloyd Alexander’s books and Winnie-the-Pooh have higher reading levels that most adult fiction (7th grade) and are generally in the juvenile section. Most adult fiction is written at a 5th grade reading level, but that is separate from theme and content.

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By: Alex Kyrios http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/2012/07/18/a-bad-book-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-156418 Alex Kyrios Fri, 20 Jul 2012 18:01:12 +0000 http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/?p=1486#comment-156418 There are actual graphic novels, and there’s “graphic novel” as euphemism for comic book. If the protagonist is a superhero, it’s probably a comic book, regardless of thickness. (Probably, but not always; cf. Watchmen) There’s a fine line between graphic novels and comic books, and most people, librarians included, generally don’t bother trying to find it. Not that I think this would be a good use of most librarians’ time.

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By: Amy http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/2012/07/18/a-bad-book-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-156283 Amy Thu, 19 Jul 2012 21:39:40 +0000 http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/?p=1486#comment-156283 “If Archie comics are too simple for your tastes, but you haven’t graduated to real novels, then go to the ‘graphic novel’ part of the adult section of the library.”

Ouch. I read graphic novels (yet still manage to make it through “real novels” too!), and I can attest to the fact that there’s a lot of crap out there, but that’s the way it is with any type of media format–be it a traditional novel, an audiobook, a music recording, a painting, or otherwise. There are also some great books that use sequential pictures and words together very effectively, and my ability to appreciate this technique does not indicate an inherent lack of sophistication or education on my part.

Maybe I’m misreading AL’s statement, but it certainly seems to me that it’s prematurely dismissive of graphic novel readers and the graphic novel format.

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By: Jean Costello http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/2012/07/18/a-bad-book-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-156215 Jean Costello Thu, 19 Jul 2012 11:11:01 +0000 http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/?p=1486#comment-156215 Wow – I have no idea what prompted the mess I dumped here yesterday. I’m so sorry.

Perhaps it’s too much time spent wading thru the issues and not enough time in a public library.

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By: Development Arrested http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/2012/07/18/a-bad-book-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-156132 Development Arrested Wed, 18 Jul 2012 22:33:03 +0000 http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/?p=1486#comment-156132 If it’s any consolation, I didn’t care much for Black Swan myself.

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By: Joneser http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/2012/07/18/a-bad-book-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-156120 Joneser Wed, 18 Jul 2012 21:15:42 +0000 http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/?p=1486#comment-156120 It is difficult to imagine a reasonable library not taking a “location” complaint seriously – for instance, re-examining something to see if it indeed does belong in the “adult” section and not the juvenile ones. What with the time crunch for everyone, selection mistakes are made – or processing, or something. Re-examination of location, whether prompted internally or externally, occurs all of the time, only there is no press about it.

I’m with Eye Roll on this one.

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By: thelibrarina http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/2012/07/18/a-bad-book-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-156105 thelibrarina Wed, 18 Jul 2012 19:42:14 +0000 http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/?p=1486#comment-156105 “The appropriate course isn’t to challenge the book for other adults, but to start a national campaign to get graphic novels rated and labeled just like video games and music.”

Then we’d just have collection development policies that forbid the purchase of mature-rated graphic novels. My public library system purchases the “radio edit” versions of rap and rock CDs, and we don’t collect R-rated movies at all. This was the board’s decision many years ago, and it hasn’t budged since.

It might not seem like a big problem until you consider that 13 of the past 20 Oscar winners for Best Picture were rated R. I am so tired of people ordering Black Swan and yelling at ME when they get a Tyrone Power pirate movie instead of Natalie Portman in a tutu.

Graphic novel ratings would just be used as an excuse not to purchase anything too risky–or risque, as the case may be–without considering the merit of the item in question.

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By: Eye Roll http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/2012/07/18/a-bad-book-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-156094 Eye Roll Wed, 18 Jul 2012 17:03:07 +0000 http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/?p=1486#comment-156094 Jean, you really need to get a new hobby.

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By: Jean Costello http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/2012/07/18/a-bad-book-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-156085 Jean Costello Wed, 18 Jul 2012 16:54:13 +0000 http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/?p=1486#comment-156085 Darn … so fired up that I blew the hyperlink! https://harvester.census.gov/imls/pubs/pls/index.asp

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By: Jean Costello http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/2012/07/18/a-bad-book-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-156084 Jean Costello Wed, 18 Jul 2012 16:52:43 +0000 http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/?p=1486#comment-156084 I’m mightily annoyed too. TEASER ALERT: rant to follow.

1) I’m annoyed that the ALA and far too many people in library management positions think so uncritically. Half the stuff they come out with contains contradictions right within the text, let alone under examination. Thinking about content, standards, access, context — this is what we entrust to our libraries and what I see is an apparent abdication of responsibility from public libraries. (I’m making a broad claim, not beating a safe libraries drum here.) What I see are statements like “one man’s trash is another’s treasure” or trotting out an exceptional example like “people thought Gulliver’s Travels was trash at the time” to justify willy-nilly acquisition policies.

2) I’m annoyed with the (generally) weak responses to book challenges I’ve seen from libraries. The vast majority of book challenges, including the one noted in this post, raise important questions that merit consideration. Far too many library responses are bureaucratic refuse spewed from a word processor as a means of placating or exhausting the reader rather than providing something that helps educate or engage dialogue.

3) I’m annoyed at the far-too-common attitude from library folk that it’s everybody else’s job to do something about important issues while theirs is to sit inside their institutional walls, safely “above the fray”. The AL just wrote “The appropriate course isn’t to challenge the book for other adults, but to start a national campaign to get graphic novels rated and labeled just like video games and music.” A few posts back, AL asked “do librarians need to know anything?” Yes, they do — otherwise what’s their value? They need to know about content and formats; human cognition patterns for text, images, audio; dialectic & semantic styles; historic and cross-cultural context for everything I just listed (and probably lots more). And they need to apply that knowledge in demonstrably productive ways. If it would be a good thing to label graphic novels, then by golly make a good case for it and lobby for change. One of my favorite lines from David Lankes’ stump speech to librarians is “the world has never been changed by those who ‘stand ready’”.
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We’d never tolerate from other professions what we get in our libraries:
Financial planner: “I don’t know much about the financial product I invested your money in, but lots of people like it …”
Doctor: “Some people think the best course of treatment is A, some B … so I gave a little bit of both to avoid making a wrong decision.”
Fire dept officer: “Your gasoline can leaked gas all over your car while you were getting it for the lawn mower and you want to know what to do? Let me put a message out to my listserv to see how other people have handled this and if I get an answer, I’ll let you know.”

C’mon folks. In America, we invest alot in our public libraries (nearly $12b for operating expenses in FY2009). We deserve more for our money. With our country facing so many societal and economic needs, we need you to do better — there are so many contributions librarianship & libraries can make. And to say it rather plainly: you need to do better because you’re being replaced by technology and other people that do a better job.

I’m on your side; I really am. You know, for all the blah, blah, blah about systems & funding I’ve written about in comments here — perhaps the most valuable thing I’ve offered up is the candor of this reply. Tough … but love nonetheless.

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