A new bill in Indiana has been proposed, giving parents or guardians the right to complain about books from school libraries that are inappropriate for their children.
Senate Bill 12 is making a lot of noise as librarians, and book lovers try to digest how it can allow school librarians to be criminally punished based on the available collections of books kept in the libraries and offered to students.
Further, it can indict school librarians if the materials in their libraries are viewed as harmful to kids and minors.
Chad Heck, a school librarian for 15 years, expressed that it is great that parents have unique ways of introducing books and materials and building book-child relationships.
They respect parents who want their kids to have access to diverse materials and those who are conservative and want to have a different conversation. Thus, he thinks it is unfair if one parent decides for everyone what book or material is appropriate or inappropriate for the children of the entire school.
Every parent has the right to how they would want to raise their children, and one's opinion or beliefs should not look down upon that right.
No pornography in school libraries
Further, Heck is concerned that the bill can limit the availability of diverse books and materials for students, as well as their learnings and knowledge about many things.
But he is making one thing clear. He assured parents that pornography has no space in their libraries' bookshelves, WRTV reported.
"We don't have pornography in school libraries; I want to be very clear about that. The books in our collection don't meet that definition. I'm sure that we have books in our library that we don't all agree with. There are books in my library that I don't agree with; that's what libraries are for. We have lots of different perspectives, and if you don't want your child to read books from a certain perspective, you can have that conversation with your child," Heck proclaimed.
How do librarians decide on books
Moreover, he expressed that parents can guarantee that their concerns and issues are taken seriously and that each school library has in place and is following the strict process.
Librarians do not choose the books they place on the school's bookshelves. Heck, who is also Indiana Library Federation's co-chair of the Advocacy Committee, stated that they always check review sources such as School Library Journal, Book List, and Kirkus to help them identify if a book is worth collecting and placing in the library, if the books are appropriate and of what age group, and even the placement of the book in the collection.
These review sources give them an "unbiased standpoint" toward the books added to the library's collection.
These sources are legitimate as they have been around for decades and have continually provided lists of well-reviewed and updated books. The School Library Journal was established in 1954, while the industry has used Book List and Kirkus since 1905 and 1933, respectively.
