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| Author Jacqueline Woodson (Marty Umans)
Early in her career as a writer, Jacqueline Woodson got some disturbing news from none other than Judy Blume.
Blume was editing an anthology of works by banned authors and wanted to include her.
“But I haven’t been banned,” Woodson said.
“Oh, yes you have!” Blume told her.
Woodson, the author of such books as “Brown Girl Dreaming” and “Hush,” has since won a National Book Award and been named Young People’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation. Yet she still finds her work under fire in libraries and schools around the country for its depiction of sexuality, drug use, prison and interracial relationships.
According to the American Library Association, books for young adults — the kind Woodson writes — are now “the majority of the most frequently challenged books.”
During Banned Books Week (Sept. 27 to Oct. 3), you’ll see the usual celebrations of censored classics, such as “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and “The Catcher in the Rye,” alongside more recent works, such as “The Kite Runner” and the “Harry Potter” series. Many bookstores, like One More Page Books in Arlington, Va., have set up special displays to promote titles that have weathered persistent objections.
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Library Card Spokesdog
Snoopy helps unleash 2015 Library Card Sign-Up Month
September 3, 2015
Are libraries going to the dogs? We all know better than to believe those who deem libraries obsolete in today’s fast-paced, tech-driven environment, but we also know that we need to consistently demonstrate the ways in which libraries are essential, innovative, and—dare we say?—cool. So we were thrilled to welcome Snoopy, the absolute coolest customer, as the 2015 National Library Card Sign-Up Month spokesdog!
Snoopy has inspired all of us at Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library (CCPL) to expand Library Card Sign-Up Monthinto a dog-tastic extravaganza. We are crowdsourcing a “top dog” to be featured on an official CCPL library card, and we’re giving customers the chance to create their own customized library cards during a special pet photo shoot event. Even my dog, Grady, is looking forward to expanding the fame he’s acquired via my @sari_feldman Twitter feed to have his photo featured on a CCPL library card. But, in an age when customers can simply log in online to request and download content or use an app to check out material, why all this attention on the physical card?
We know that libraries need to create affinity for the “library brand.” The library card, used in all types of libraries, remains a symbol of our brand. It’s a daily reminder that the library is an open, trusted source that belongs to the cardholder; it’s the physical proxy that links the library’s core values of privacy, equity, intellectual freedom, and democracy to the individual library patron. This is perhaps why President Obama recently issued the ConnectED Library Challenge, which calls for library cards for all children to ensure access to a library. A library card is their key to the education, employment, entrepreneurship, engagement, and empowerment opportunities that libraries provide.
If the library card is part of our brand identity, we need to support the brand through strategic marketing efforts. Our profession has always placed a budgetary priority on service over marketing, yet we can no longer rely on earned media and nostalgic sentiment alone. We need to invest in actively marketing libraries to capture mindshare and move the needle on public perception of the value of libraries. The “Libraries Transform” public awareness campaign is built upon the premise that elevating consciousness of the changing face of America’s libraries and engaging individuals and communities will increase support for libraries from a funding and information policy perspective. Read more...
