Quote:
Originally Posted by mldavis2
What was the "task force?" Who chose or appointed the "task force?" Who was eligible and included in the "task force" - parents, students, teachers, librarians, clergy, etc.? 
Who determined the definition of "age appropriate," |
All good questions.
Quote:
|
I disagree that removing the books from the library is not the same as book burning. If the book is no longer available it makes no difference where it went or how it was disposed. To remove the book from the library, aside from the question of using the book as study material, assumes that not one of the 4,500 students, many of high school age, are "age-appropriate" to the material.
|
No, it assumes that school libraries have limited resources and limited physical space, and cannot afford to have a book that's only appropriate and helpful to one or two students; they have to pick books that have appeal to a broad selection of the student body.
How many books should they carry that are inappropriate for 95% of the students at the school? How many widely-useful books should be skipped because that space on the shelf is filled by something that only a handful of students will ever read? Even with nonzero answers, it's obvious that getting rid of books for controversial content may not be censorship; it could just be that the library can get better use out of that space with a book that's accessible to more students.
That said--I think it likely that, in this case, "age-appropriate" is a code phrase for "doesn't make adults uncomfortable to think of kids reading it." Which is a very different standard from actual age appropriateness.