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Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 18:04:34 -0500 (EST)
To: pubyac-digest@nysernet.org
Subject: pubyac V1 #492
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Date: Sun, 08 Nov 1998 17:27:48 -0600
From: Martinez <mrtnz@itouch.net>
Subject: Search for short story
I need your help.
A library user is searching for a copy of a short story she read in school.
Maybe from a reader. The title of the story is "scarlet ibis"
We appreciate any help.
Marjorie Martinez
P.O. Box 1002
Kyle, Texas 78640
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 06 Nov 98 18:53:00 PST
From: "Johnson, Deidre" <djohnson@wcupa.edu>
Subject: RE: Bias Books needed
>
We are having a terrible time with an elementary education assigment.
Students from the local state college are coming in with an assignment
in which they have to do a report on a bias and non bias book. We get
this one every year and always seem to have trouble with it. My question
is this - what books whould you give these students and what's the bias
involved? <
You might want to get in touch with the professor giving the assignment to
ask for clarification. (I could say all types of things about an assignment
that assumes *any* book is without bias, but won't...) If the students are
looking for books with racial bias vs. non-stereotypical presentations,
Laura Ingalls Wilder's _Little House on the Prairie_, the early edition of
_Mary Poppins_ (not the revision), the Newbery-winner _Matchlock Gun_, and
_Indian in the Cupboard_ would probably all qualify as showing negative
stereotypes of Native Americans. Books by Michael Dorris (_Guests_, _Sees
Behind Trees_, _Morning Girl_) and other Native American writers (Virginia
Driving Hawk Sneve, Craig Strete) would show non-stereotypical images.
Also, any of the early Dr. Dolittle books that include visits to Africa
have stereotypical images of Africans; Nancy Farmer's _Girl Named Disaster_
is non-stereotypical.
Deidre Johnson
West Chester University
djohnson@wcupa.edu
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 07 Nov 1998 17:24:24 -0600
From: "Don Wood" <dwood@ala.org>
Subject: IFAN: What Is It? How Do You Join?
The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom has developed the Intellectual
Freedom Action Network (IFAN). Those who join--and joining is
free!--are asked to act as "eyes" and "ears" for
intellectual
freedom.
IFAN members are expected to do one or more of the following:
Read the newspaper and watch your local TV programs for incidents of
censorship, and report them to OIF. (You can report to OIF by e-mail,
fax, phone, or U.S. mail.) Send us any information you come across.
Monitor lists and computer bulletin boards looking for incidents of
censorship and information on pressure groups that are forming in your
area. Report this information to OIF.
Attend library board, school board, and local government meetings.
On average, more than two-thirds of the materials challenged were in
school libraries or school curricula. Don't wait for a controversy to
erupt; make your views known before this happens.
Be willing to lend your support to someone who is facing a challenge
and to respond to requests for support from OIF on controversies in
your area.
Tell others about the Intellectual Freedom Action Network.
If you would like to join the Intellectual Freedom Action Network,
send your Name, Address, City/State/Zip, Phone, Fax, and Email to:
Intellectual Freedom Action Network
American Library Association
Office for Intellectual Freedom
50 East Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611
IFAN members receive the Intellectual Freedom Action News free.
(Issues of this publication are available online at
http://www.ala.org/alaorg/oif/ifan_pub.html.)
IFAN members also are subscribed to the IFACTION list and receive
up-to-the-minute news, action alerts, and other information from OIF.
________________________
Don Wood
American Library Association
Office for Intellectual Freedom
50 East Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611
800-545-2433, ext. 4225
Fax: 312-280-4227
dwood@ala.org
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 1998 14:11:45 -0600
From: "Kristin Hawksworth" <kristinh@nslsilus.org>
Subject: two stumpers
Hello all.
I have two stumpers, so bear with me please.
The first is similiar to a topic that has been recently addressed on
PUBYAC regarding books that depict divorce or separation when
dad leaves. I have a single father desperately looking for a book or
two on divorce/separation/abandonment where the mom leaves and
dad is the primary caregiver, as is his situation. His two kids are
preschool aged and he is having a hard time finding books to help
them cope.
Second, I'm looking for a novel that was read to me by my 3rd
grade teacher (in the early eighties) in which a boy was blinded by
a firecracker and then learned to use a guide dog and cope with
being blind. My guess is that it's an older book, but I can not
remember a title or author at all (I was 8!), and am coming up with
nothing when I search under blindness or guide dogs.
Thanks in advance for your help,
Kristin Hawksworth
Algonquin Area Public Library
115 Eastgate Dr.
Algonquin, IL 60102
kristinh@nslsilus.org
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 07 Nov 1998 17:45:07 -0600
From: Peggy Northcraft <mdu002@mail.connect.more.net>
Subject: Re: Bias Books needed
Chris,
What do they mean by a bias? A bias need not be bad or negative, I know,
so perhaps they mean a book that is geared toward a particular age group,
etc. Or do they mean things like the my mother is in a wheelchair type
things? If I am showing my ignorance, please let me know gently.
At 11:17 PM 11/3/98 EST, you wrote:
>We are having a terrible time with an elementary education assigment.
>Students from the local state college are coming in with an assignment
>in which they have to do a report on a bias and non bias book. We get
>this one every year and always seem to have trouble with it. My question
>is this - what books whould you give these students and what's the bias
>involved? We're low on choices and wondering if there's a big section
>we're missing out there. I thank you all profusely for any help you can
give.
>
>Chris Jahnke
>Children's Librarian
>Great River Regional Library
>
>
>
>
>
Margaret "Peggy" Northcraft
Children's Librarian
Hannibal Public Library
Hannibal MO (pop. 18.004)
mdu002@mail.connect.more.net
"Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to
govern, but impossible to enslave." Henry Peter Brougham
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1998 13:25:54 -0500
From: czlr@musica.mcgill.ca (L. Bowler)
Subject: stumper
A patron in my library is looking for a book, written in English, that she
read about 25 years ago about...a disabled man who lived in a lighthouse
and painted! I have tried all the reference sources at my disposal.
Thanks a million, if you can help!!
Leanne Bowler
Montreal Canada
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 06 Nov 1998 12:24:20 PST
From: "Marion Dodson" <mariondodson@hotmail.com>
Subject: Stumper: Fear of Dog Books
Hi! I have a patron whose 3 year old has suddenly developed a terrible
fear of dogs. I can't seem to find any books for a 3 year old dealing
specifically with the fear of dogs. Can anyone think of anything to
suggest?
Thanks in advance. Please reply directly to me.
Marion Dodson
Great Neck Library
Great Neck, NY
mariondodson@hotmail.com
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 06 Nov 1998 12:31:51 -0600
From: "Don Wood" <dwood@ala.org>
Subject: Jenner & Block Memos to FTRF Regarding Internet and Intellectual
Freedom
At the 1998 Annual Conference, the FTRF Board discussed four memoranda
prepared by Jenner & Block.
Jenner & Block must caution that these memoranda are merely
general discussions of these issues, and are not opinion
letters.
Because laws differ from state to state, these memoranda
necessarily cannot serve as the bases for legal judgments for any
library. Additionally, the law related to Internet use and filtering
is
changing rapidly as new legislation is adopted and new court
challenges are filed. A library that offers Internet access
should
seek legal advice for an analysis of its own particular situation
and
the current laws of its own state and jurisdiction.
These memoranda can be found from the Freedom to Read Foundation home
page at
http://www.ala.org/alaorg/oif/ftrf_home.html
Application of "Community Standards" Component of Legal
Obscenity Text to Librarians' Internet Communications
http://www.ala.org/alaorg/oif/app_jb.html
Civil and Criminal Liabilities For Libraries Related to Using or
Failing to Use Internet Filtering Software or Other Content Screening
Mechanisms
http://www.ala.org/alaorg/oif/civil_jb.html
Civil Liability for an alleged hostile work environment related to
patron or employee Internet use
http://www.ala.org/alaorg/oif/work_jb.html
Minors' Right to Receive Information Under the First Amendment
http://www.ala.org/alaorg/oif/minor_jb.html
________________________
Don Wood
American Library Association
Office for Intellectual Freedom
50 East Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611
800-545-2433, ext. 4225
Fax: 312-280-4227
dwood@ala.org
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1998 13:20:13 -0700
From: rdukelow@colosys.net (Rosemary Dukelow)
Subject: Textbook for children's lit class
Can anyone recommend a good, reasonably priced text book for a introduction
to children's literature class?
Thanks for your help! Rosemary rdukelow@colosys.net
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 07 Nov 1998 10:32:55 -0400
From: "Lorie J. O'Donnell" <odonnell@borg.com>
Subject: Re: Bias Books needed
Without a better definition of the bias the students are looking for, I
can only guess. What about any issue books (i.e. abortion, euthanasia,
etc.) that takes one side instead of presenting the facts? Or how
about books on one religion or spiritual belief (or non-belief, as it
may be)?
Lorie
Evighet@aol.com wrote:
>
> We are having a terrible time with an elementary education assigment.
> Students from the local state college are coming in with an assignment
> in which they have to do a report on a bias and non bias book. We get
> this one every year and always seem to have trouble with it. My question
> is this - what books whould you give these students and what's the bias
> involved? We're low on choices and wondering if there's a big section
> we're missing out there. I thank you all profusely for any help you can
give.
>
> Chris Jahnke
> Children's Librarian
> Great River Regional Library
- --
***************
Lorie J. O'Donnell
odonnell@borg.com
"All that is comes from the mind; it is based on the mind,
it is fashioned by the mind. " from The Pali Canon
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1998 11:43:35 -0500 (EST)
From: Laurie Scott <scottlau@metronet.lib.mi.us>
Subject: Out of the Dust
I passed this along to a friend's daughter in my son's sixth grade class
last year, and she loved it so much that about five other girls (and their
moms and their teacher!) read it, too.
This year I had a chance to hear a seventh grader talk about the book in a
book conferencing program at their school; she really loved the book. She
didn't feel it was melodramatic or too sad. I asked her about the poetry
and she said that she expected the book to just have a page or two of
poetry and was surprised that it kept on coming. She was surprised that
she liked the book so much because what she likes in a book are the
details that come with all of the words, and she didn't think that a book
could be complete or interesting with just the few words that poetry
offers. But she was delighted that it gave just enough to let you know
what was going on.
Although I am a public librarian, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this
book to 6th-8th grade students. MY mom just read Out of the Dust and
really loved it, too!
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 07 Nov 1998 10:26:49 -0500
From: Christine Hill <chill@willingboro.org>
Subject: Re: Witch/glass mountain stumper solved
Jean,
Direct this patron to www.bibliofind.com, which lists several copies for
sale. Many librarians have recommended its service.
Christine M. Hill
Willingboro Public Library
One Salem Road
Willingboro, NJ 08046
chill@willingboro.org
Jean Marie Schmeisser wrote:
>
> Hello all,
>
> A wide variety of people wrote me to say the answer was "The Witch
> Family" by Eleanor Estes, and our system owns the book. Of course, now
the
> patron wants to buy it, but that's outside our domain.
>
> Thanks to all fellow readers who answered our stumper so quickly!
>
> <The patron remember it being about a little witch who may have been
named
> <Hannah, who had a bumblebee as a companion. She thinks the witch was
> <banished to a glass mountain in the story. (She thought the title may
have
> <been The Little Witch and the Glass Mountain.)
>
> Jean Schmeisser
> Librarian I Schmeisser @ci.sat.tx.us
>
> San Antonio Public Library
> Children's Unit
> 600 Soledad
> San Antonio, TX 78205
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 12:59:57 -0500 (EST)
From: Cathy Sullivan Seblonka <cathys@uproc.lib.mi.us>
Subject: Stumper--alligators/seasonal books
Hello. I need help finding the titles to a series of four picture books
my patron read to her children in the early 70's. The four books are
based on the four seasons, they have a rhyming text and an alligator as a
main character. She repeated a line from the books: Summer, winter,
autumn, spring; what happens to everything?
We've checked A to Zoo so far.
Thanks.
Cathy Sullivan Seblonka
Youth Services Coordinator
Peter White Public Library
217 N. Front St.
Marquette, MI 49855
(906) 228-9510
fax (906) 228-7315
e-mail: cathys@uproc.lib.mi.us
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 08:52:56 -0700
From: Diane_Tuccillo@ci.mesa.az.us
Subject: Re: Chocolate War
We have a patron complaint about the video of The Chocolate War, which is
rated R, being located in the YA Room at our library. Our collection serves
ages 12-18 and, of course, we have the book. The patron did not want to
follow our regular reconsideration channels, and contacted the City Council
about this issue directly. Most likely, the Council will redirect the issue
back to the library. The patron's concern was that her 10-year-old child
checked out the video, but she also felt it did not belong in the YA Room
for teens to access. Has anyone else had problems with patron complaints
about this video? Do you keep the video in a YA collection, or in the Adult
collection (because it is rated R)? I am very curious as to how other
libraries have dealt with the video version of this very important YA book.
Thanks.
Diane Tuccillo
Senior Librarian/YA Coordinator
Mesa Public Library
64 E. First St.
Mesa, AZ 85201
602-644-2735
Diane_Tuccillo@ci.mesa.az.us
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 06:58:04 -0400
From: Kathy Kirchoefer <kkirchoe@wam.umd.edu>
Subject: stumper
Hello all--
A plea for help. I had a customer on Friday who was trying to find a
picture book that he read as a little boy. He said it was one of the
funniest books he ever read and wants to share it with his son. It
features a little boy named Marvin who is always getting into trouble--he
lets flies in the house, he feeds peanuts to the elephants at the zoo and
they jump out of their cage, and at one point he is standing around holding
up a building. A man comes and tells him to stop fooling around so Marvin
walks away and the buidling collapses into rubble. The customer had no
idea of a title, author, or even what the book looked like. Does this ring
any bells?
Thanks!
Kathy Kirchofer
Prince George's County Memorial Library System
Oxon Hill, MD
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 09 Nov 1998 14:55:15 -0500
From: Pfeiffer <JPFEIFFER@mail.mpl.lib.oh.us>
Subject: Stumper - Augustus series
A patron is looking for a series he read in the the early 50's with a character
named Augustus who went on a series of adventures. He remembers one of the
titles being Augustus Goes to Mars. He did not remember the author's name.
If there are any recollections out there please contact me at
jpfeiffer@mail.mpl.lib.oh.us.
Thanks,
Julie Pfeiffer
Youth Services Librarian
Middletown Public Library
Middletown Ohio
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 09 Nov 1998 15:42:06 -0500
From: Jan Chapman <jan@thechief.com>
Subject: Stumper--"ant" novel
Hi all:
A friend of mine posed this stumper. She remembers having a book read
to her by a 5th grade teacher which involved two main characters, a boy
and a girl, who somehow were transported to an ant nest (she doesn't
recall how) and became part of an ant colony. She remembers it being
terribly exciting and suspenseful. It would have been around the early
1960's that she encountered this book. She has no clue as to title or
author.
Does this ring a bell in the collective brain?
Thanks a lot
Jan Chapman
YA librarian wannabe and Kent MLS student
- --
**********************************************************************
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by
little statesmen and philosophers and divines."
Ralph Waldo Emerson, from Self Reliance
**********************************************************************
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End of pubyac V1 #492
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