What can school librarians do about library and book censorship? First, ask questions. Find out what your principal and your district have put into policy and what your principal's expectations are for your school library. Then, communicate with your classroom teachers. For ourselves, school librarians should work with colleagues, especially other…

The author recently asked his colleagues, "How can libraries determine the value in collecting, managing, preserving, and/or cataloging e-resources?" hoping to challenge readers to come up with some thoughtful opinions and useful tips. Not surprisingly, he received a handful of substantially different but uniformly provocative and creative…

Suggests reference sources most appropriate for a desert island. In addition to "Robinson Crusoe" (Daniel Defoe) and a reference guide to the literature of travel, the list includes basic books on reference work, guides to reference sources, journals, an almanac, encyclopedias, a guide to English usage, and a book of quotations. (14 references)…

This report caps an 8-year initiative that has had as its goal the recruitment and formation of scholarly committees to investigate the state of decay and preservation of collections within their separate disciplines. The Commission began to investigate strategies for preservation selection in 1988. By 1995, the Commission had worked with scholars…

Describes three selection theories and concepts from other disciplines which are used to explain matters of selection and constitute a diverse array of approaches in rethinking problems of library selection: random selection in statistics, theory of natural selection in biology, and gatekeeper theory in field of communication. Ten sources are…

This essay focuses on self-censorship as applied to the library book selection process, highlighting librarian practices of selection, library collections, censorship and the publishing industry, and self-defense against censorship. Five controversial titles are included. (EJS)

Discusses "educational suitability,""pervasive vulgarity," political intent, the difference between the selection and removal of library books, and censoring books without removing them from the library (zoning through "educational suitability" and age appropriateness). (CT)

This discussion of the librarian's perspective on collection development cites professional "blind spots" in areas of responses to and misinterpretation of information, censorship, identifying and satisfying reader demand, and confusion over the role of the librarian. A 15-item bibliography is provided. (EJS)

This essay discusses issues raised in Carol Hole's article "Who Me, Censor?" ("Top of the News," Winter 1984) on library material selection and censorship. Balancing a library's book collection, controversial issues and materials, moral judgment, and the mission of librarians are noted. (EJS)

Discusses several collections of poetry that children enjoy. (HTH)

Argues that book selection is more properly and adequately done by faculty members than librarians. A model for faculty selection of library materials that formally incorporates accountability for selectors is proposed.

This essay reviews the library material selection process and explores the differences between selection and censorship. Removal of library materials, selection of materials for special interests, opinions of censorious groups, the balanced collection, and the librarian's responsibility are discussed. (EJS)

This article presents an interview with Cassandra Barnett, a school library media specialist at Fayetteville (Arkansas) High School. She is also a member of the AASL Learning Standards Rewrite Task Force, which has been working on developing AASL's new National Learning Standards. Fayetteville schools experienced multiple challenges during…

Presents the vendor's perspective on how libraries choose and evaluate a vendor's performance. Characteristics of vendors are described, including being profit-oriented, market-driven, and highly competitive; issues in the three basic areas of service, price, and automation are discussed; and the influence of personality is considered. (LRW)

Reviews the advantages and disadvantages of several publishers' offerings of classic literature titles often purchased by libraries. Four hardcover choices and five paperback choices are compared in terms of price; authenticity of text, including introductory notes; and quality of production, including binding and type size. (LRW)