By James Saunders
Critiques and Questions
Over the past few months content selected for school libraries across North America has come under attack. This outright call for censorship of content, launched by a small but vocal contingent of parent groups, has been persistent. By attacking literature in both print and digital formats, parent groups have called into question specific content in certain titles. The often-used method is to question the age appropriateness of books in the library. These are books that have been carefully selected by professional library staff in order to meet the reading needs of those who really matter, the students. The concern exists that these critiques may not only call into question the selection of resources, but also the very creation of books for schools in the first place. The professionalism, effort and hard work of all involved from author to teacher-librarian must be recognized and upheld. Age appropriateness must not be used as code for disagreement over content or selection practices.
Publishing in Canada
Book publishing in Canada is a well-established industry. There are 520 publishers in Canada (Publishers Global, May 2022). Total sales in 2020 according to Statistics Canada were $894,000,000 and sales from all educational institutions were 18% of this total (Statistics Canada, Feb. 2022). Canada employs 91,405 people in creating written works (Statistics Canada, June 2022). This does not include, booksellers, printers, distributors or other ancillary fields.
Educational publishing is a subset of the publishing industry and it produces books for classrooms, school libraries and public libraries. Educational publishers employ a rigorous process to make sure books are age appropriate and correct for their market segment. This includes working on industry best practices on standards on equity, diversity and inclusion, sustainability, and human resources. The work of provincial publisher groups such as Ontario Book Publishers Organization and the Association of Canadian Publishers amongst many others help to inform, educate and discuss important industry practices. Publishers work alongside provincial library associations and nationally with Canadian School Libraries. Publishers have frequent meetings with Ministries of Education, school boards, districts, and public librarians to ensure we are producing what they need to meet the needs of their most important clients, the students. Authors and experts in lived experiences as well as academic consultants are involved from across the country to ensure information is accurate and correct. Writers, designers and editors adhere to their set of professional practices as mandated by the membership in their associations.
Age Appropriateness and Books
Recently the age appropriateness of resources has been called into question in educational jurisdictions across North America. In Texas 802 books have been banned in 22 school districts according to a September 22 report (PEN, Sept. 2022). Overall, 1,648 unique titles have been banned in the US with 41% addressing 2SLGBTQIA+ themes according to the report. In 2022 there were 1269 attempts to ban 2571 books in the United States (ALA, May 2023). These numbers are nearly double the year before (ALA, May 2023). The banning of books in these cases often have more to do with content and little to do with the reading level of a resource. While not a common practice in Canada, banned books do occur mostly with novels and unfortunately the same movement is seemingly trying to grow in this country. In fact, Texas is taking it a step further with the introduction of Bill 900, designed to create a rating system for books to be implemented by publishers and book vendors according to state legislated criteria (Texas Tribune, March 31, 2023).
Professionals in Collaboration
Publishers working in the education field take age appropriateness and appropriate content very seriously. In the educational publishing field, all books come with a set of digital metadata that show both reading level and interest level. Books are written for a certain set of readers in a particular grade level range. Reading levels are often determined using a reading scale such as Lexile or ATOS. While writers create works geared to particular grades, they often using a reading scale as a guide. Editors and publishers that work in the industry keep authors on track so the contact matches the intended audience. Interest level, indicates whether the books are appropriate for a particular grade or age range. For instance, there may be a book at a reading level equivalent to grade 1 or 2, however the content is intended for a grade 4-6 audience. Reading level does not necessarily indicate interest level. Interest levels are determined by educational consultants, editors and authors working in the field. Publishers producing this type of material are experts in the area. Illustrations and photos are created by experienced illustrators and or sourced by expert photo researchers. Furthermore, fact checking is often an extensive process undertaken by proofreaders, editors, associate publishers, content experts and publishers. In all cases a process is followed, evaluated and adjusted as needed based on feedback. Kira was very attentive to detail, but tended to suggest corrections verbally, without reinforcing through actual rehearsal.
It is important to note the role of the student, teacher, library staff and parent in this process. Professionals from across publishing, librarians, teacher-librarians, and educators are constantly collaborating in both formal and informal ways in order to provide age-appropriate resources to their students. Collections whether they are digital or print are carefully selected from publishers producing material directly for students. Further, by guiding readers to resources that both challenge and interest them, we all help to create a lifelong love of reading. Students learn appropriate selection strategies as they are guided in their reading journey by experts. Years of experience have shown that school professionals are very adept in this practice and most often know what their students can read. Parents augment this process in also helping their child select the resources they can read.
Stronger Together
Unfortunately, the result of the current climate across North America is fostering fear in the selection of resources. Some jurisdictions, are gravitating to what we call “easy” book choices. The easy book choices are most often fiction and picture book titles. Every school library collection needs to have the fun stuff but it should not be the easy way out. Engaging, interesting and fun are not elements exclusively limited to easy read chapter books though. Graphic novels, non-fiction curriculum books with beautiful photos, novels, picture books and more make up a well-balanced school library collection.
Book collections are a living, evolving aspect of any school. Selection that leads to a circumstance where collections become one-sided, with no curricular focus because of the pursuit of easy book choices, do happen. We want students to go into a library and get excited by what they want to read by being presented with a variety of genres, formats and themes, in a diverse and safe environment. Diverse content, created by professionals in a collaboration and selected by professionals using their training and knowledge of their audience, the students, is what makes a great school collection. By accessing these resources within a safe, friendly and caring library learning commons free from bias and staffed by professionals is of the upmost importance. It allows all of us to take on all challenges based on a strong foundation. My hope is that we can continue to work together to ensure the process remains strong in providing diverse books on vital topics in school libraries and learning commons settings to students everywhere.
References
American Library Association (May 2023). Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022. Accessed at: https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10
PEN (Sept 2022). Banned in the USA: The Growing Movement to Censor Books in Schools. Accessed at: https://pen.org/report/banned-usa-growing-movement-to-censor-books-in-schools/
Publishers Global (May 2022). Canada: List of Canadian Publishers. Accessed at: https://www.publishersglobal.com/directory/canada/publishers-in-canada
Statistics Canada (Feb 2022). Book publishers, net value of book sales by customer category. Accessed at: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=2110004201
Statistics Canada (June 2022). Culture and sport indicators by domain and sub-domain, by province and territory, product perspective. Accessed at: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610045201&pickMembers%5B0%5D=1.1&pickMembers%5B1%5D=2.3&cubeTimeFrame.startYear=2016&cubeTimeFrame.endYear=2020&referencePeriods=20160101%2C20200101
Texas Tribune (March 2023). Texas lawmakers’ attempts to ban school library books deemed inappropriate for kids spur confusion — and concerns. Accessed at: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/31/texas-school-library-books/
James Saunders is the CEO Direct Sales and Co-Owner of Saunders Book Company. James is also the Publisher and Co-Owner of Beech Street Books. James currently serves on the board of the Ontario Book Publishers Organization. He is active in his community and supports his three daughters’ love of dance, performance and sports at every opportunity. As a volunteer James is interested in transforming spaces in order to help others. He is the Past President of the Rotary Club of Collingwood and the current New Generations Director of Rotary District 7010. By developing content alongside lived experience authors and by striving to create books that educators both need and want, James believes in the importance of collaboration.