Quote:
Originally Posted by DiapDealer
I'm fine with the ALA keeping track of the challenges. Remember, this isn't a case someone simply "not liking" a book. These are cases where someone took the official "first step" in trying to keep other people from liking a book by having it removed from a library system. Just because they weren't successful doesn't mean it's not noteworthy.
If I were packing up and relocating a young family, I would certainly want to know if I was moving to a community that had an abundance of jerk-wads who were making numerous efforts to bring their library more "into compliance" with their religious or political ideals. Waiting until someone successfully gets a book banned is a little late to bring it to everyone's attention, is it not?
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If a challenge is successful, then you can make certain assumptions about the kind of community it is that removed a book on whatever specific grounds, and factor that into the decision about where you want to live. Who cares about a few lone crackpots challenging books if the challenges go nowhere? What's significant is the decision the community as a whole makes.