Monday, May 31, 2010
So what would you do? Imagine that you are the head of a public library. The city council tells you that a certain book can no longer be checked out or possessed by the library. It is banned. Would you agree with this ban and leave it alone? Or would you fight back and try to get the book back on the shelves? Are librarians are responsible for making all information accessible to all people, or do some things just not belong in libraries? More specifically, was Ms. Knief right in the way she handled the banning of The Grapes of Wrath? Or should she have done more to fight it? Books will always get banned, and librarians must continually find ways to deal with this censorship. So how should they deal with it?
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Enjoyed your posts. I think we need to look at Ms. Kniefs actions regarding "The Grapes of Wrath" in the context of the times she was living in. Ms. Knief probably felt she took great action in making sure the books were distributed to other libraries. She probably felt she was a rebel in not disclosing the number of copies she had. And she never destroyed the books.
ReplyDeleteIn todays time, people are more outspoken and demonstrative about such matters because the world has become that way.
However, I feel that how one handles themselves when a situation arises, is an individual thing. Personally speaking, I'd hate to be known in history as the librarian who did nothing...
I agree with you that the time Ms. Knief was in probably had a big impact on what she felt she could and couldn't do. By giving books to other libraries and keeping the number she had a secret, she was acting to preserve and provide access to the books. Could she have done more? Possibly, but if she had become an outspoken activist for the book, she may have only succeeded in losing her job.
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