Windows, Doors, Mirrors
Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, an American educator and children’s literature researcher, observed: “Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created or recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror.”
In recent months, certain books, movies, and other items in Botetourt County libraries have been targeted by some as pornography or pedophilia. While these terms are often subjectively used to describe content that some find objectionable, county libraries provide multiple protections to ensure that no pornographic, pedophilic, or obscene material makes its way into the collection.
- The library only purchases materials provided by reputable publishers who are prohibited by law from selling obscene materials to libraries. Any publisher violating the law would be subject to criminal felony conviction.
- County librarians are professionally educated and trained to objectively select materials that offer a broad range of content to serve all persons equally without bias or judgment.
- All materials located in the children’s and young adult collections have been identified by publishers and reviewers as intended and appropriate for those audiences. Every family and child is unique, and only parents or legal guardians can decide what is appropriate for their own children and families.
- Botetourt County Library protects parental rights. Children access materials only with their parent or guardian’s consent. Parents and guardians have full control of minors’ library accounts until they turn 18. Children under age 13 must be supervised by a responsible adult when visiting any Botetourt County library branch.
- Botetourt County Library provides transparency. All titles in the Botetourt County Library can be viewed on an online catalog.
- The library welcomes patron input for the collection, including purchase requests and selection concerns. A patron who feels that a specific title is unsuitable for community access is first encouraged to have a conversation with a librarian. In addition to ensuring that librarians receive direct community feedback, this discussion can help clarify why the material may have been selected in the first place.
- If a concerned patron is still dissatisfied after a conversation with a librarian, they may (if eligible) request a formal review of the material in question, called a “request for reconsideration.” This puts the title through an extensive review process to determine its suitability for the Botetourt County Library collection, specifically its adherence to the library’s Collection Development Policy. Requests for reconsideration are taken very seriously, and decisions are made only after careful, thorough research and deliberation.
Learn more about how the library supports parental rights and selects materials, how our reconsideration process works, and read the library’s Reconsideration Policy by contacting your librarian or visiting www.BoCoLibraries.info > How Do I… > Find > “Collection FAQs” and “For Parents & Caregivers.” You can also check for more details at www.bocofacts4u.info.
~ Botetourt County Libraries
