Banned Books: A Comparison

In celebration of Banned Books Week, I want to share with you then 10 most challenged books of 2009 and the reasons they were challenged/banned.  

1. ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: drugs, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
2. And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Reasons: homosexuality
3. The Perks of Being A Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: anti-family, drugs, homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, suicide, unsuited to age group
4. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Reasons: offensive language, racism, unsuited to age group
5. Twilight (series) by Stephenie Meyer
Reasons: religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
6. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
7. My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult
Reasons: homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence
8. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler
Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
9. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
10. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
Reasons: nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group 


In order to get a better idea of the comparison I'm doing below, let's take a look at the ten most challenged books from 1990-1999.  I've listed the reasons for the challenges/bans if I can find them.


1. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz  Reasons: scary, violent, occult
2. Daddy’s Roommate, by Michael Willhoite Reasons: promotes homosexuality, age inappropriate
3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou Reasons: sexually explicit, specifically graphic depictions of molestation and rape
4. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier  Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain Reasons: vulgar language; offensive to African Americans
6. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck Reasons: "profanity and using God's name in vain"; vulgar and offensive; contains terminology offensive to blacks
7. Forever, by Judy Blume Reasons: sexually explicit, profanity, morality (pre-marital sex)
8. Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson Reasons: offensive language, fantasy (references to witchcraft)
9. Heather Has Two Mommies, by Leslea Newman Reasons: promotes homosexuality, age inappropriate
10. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger Reasons: "anti white" and "obscene"; language and content of the book


Looking at these two lists, the thing that stands out to me most is that most books are challenged for being "inappropriate to age group". However, the difference in the two lists is that 9 out of the 10 books in 2009 were challenged for having something to do with sexuality where only 5 books from 1990-1999 were cited for being "sexually explicit" or "promoting homosexuality".

This makes me wonder, are more books being published for young adults today that are more sexually explicit? Looking at Lauren Myracle's series and the Gossip Girl series (that was in the top ten last year) that are marketed for teenage girls, an argument can be made that yes, more sexually explicit books are being published. It's also obvious that parents have an objection to these books.


Every day books are challenged. Concerned citizens protest classrooms, school districts, and libraries to have books removed from shelves and reading lists. The American Library Association maintains that everyone, no matter age, race, religion, economic background, or sexual orientation, can be barred from reading whatever they want. This Freedom to Read is fundamental to librarians. 

However, maintaining this freedom isn't easy. Sometimes books do appear to be inappropriate; games too violent; movies too sexual. Sometimes our own morals and ideals get in the way of intellectual freedom. But as librarians, it is our job to make sure that everyone has equal access to information. That includes everything from the latest Gossip Girl book to nude photography books to rated "R" movies.

While it may be hard to stay strong against overwhelming opposition, think of it this way: if you allow one book to be removed from your shelves today, who's going to stand up for the freedom to read when all are the books are banned tomorrow?


Tomorrow I'm going to be diving into the "gray" areas of banning and challenging books.  So if you have comments about that, please wait until tomorrow where you can share your thoughts and opinions.  For today, let's ponder these questions:

• What do you think of these lists?  Do they make sense to you?
• How many of these books have you read?  Do you agree with the reasons for the challenges?
• What books were you surprised to see on the list?  What books were missing?

This Week is Banned Books Week!

September 26-October 2 is the annual Banned Books Week. Banned Books Week (BBW) is a week-long celebration of the fact that we have the freedom to read whatever we want! It also puts an emphasis on the importance of the First Amendment. "Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States." (ALA)

This week I will be spotlighting what librarians can do to celebrate banned books and intellectual freedom. Banned Books Week is one the biggest events a librarian (especially public and school librarians) take part in every year. Get excited for Banned Books Week and don't forget, READ BANNED BOOKS!!

For more information on Banned Books Week, check out http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/ and  http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm.

I'm Back...Sort of

As this aptly named blog post suggests, I am back, but only a little.  Things are super crazy right now.  No real time to explain, but if you've ever moved a library then you probably have some inclination as to what I'm currently going through. 

This week is a really special week.  It's banned books week.  All this week I'm going to be posting about banned books and why this week is so important.  So stay tuned to learn more about banned books!

Relax.

I haven't abandoned you, dear readers.  I'm just suffering from a massive case of writer's block (combined with a minor case of the blues).  

So until I can think of something relevant to talk about (any ideas??), take a look at my newly updated page on my reading list. (No, I haven't finished it which is why the name is now "The Reading List" as opposed to "Summer Reading".)

Until I think of something to write, have fun in your adventures! 

~Elizabeth aka LibrarianLizy aka LibrarianRx~

Food Waste Friday

It's another no waste week for us!  There were lots of leftovers this week, but thanks to a leftover night and eating leftovers for lunch, we were able to eat through everything that we had.  

I hope everyone has a great weekend and is looking forward to the first Saturday of college football season!

The 5 Best Places to Look for Library Jobs

Just because I'm employed now doesn't mean I've forgotten what it was like hunting (and hunting) for a job.  I've given some advice and shared some of things I learned through my process.  Today, I thought I would share (what I think are) the five best places to look for jobs.

1. ALA JobList  - A lot of libraries only post here, so this should be your first stop.  If you are going to mid-winter or annual conference in hopes of finding a job, ALA provides an icon to let you know which libraries will be present.  You can also follow them on Twitter @ALA_JobLIST.

2. UT School of Information JobWeb - This was my favorite source of listings. You can sign up to get emails several times a week and the listings here are very complete.  A lot of the jobs are in Texas, especially media specialists and public libraries, but they also have plenty of jobs outside the state as well.  They also post newly opened jobs quickly which sometimes doesn't happen with other sites.  This is also a good source if you are looking for a more technical library job, like in metadata, web design, etc.  If you aren't getting their emails and you're job hunting, you are missing out.

3. The Chronicle of Higher Education - This is a good place to go for jobs in academic libraries.  You can create a profile that allows you to save the postings you like and even apply through them. 

4. Your specialty's list-serv - Most specialties have at least one list-serv where people in that field stay on top of the latest information.  At lot of the times jobs are listed here first before they get posted to the bigger places.  I would highly recommend subscribing to at least one of the list-servs in your area of specialization and following it everyday.  You never know what you're going to find.

5. Local sources - Local sources can be your library school (I get plenty of job postings through my school's list-serv), local job boards, and your local newspaper.  The job I currently have wasn't posted anywhere but on MEDLIB (which is the medical library's list-serv) and in the local paper.  I didn't read MEDLIB until I started working part time and I never checked the paper.  I just didn't think a library would post a job in the paper.  As it turns out the job was posted in the paper because it wasn't posted by a librarian, but by an administrator who didn't know all the excellent sources for library job listings online.  It was only posted on the list-serv because someone local found it and posted it.  So if you are looking for a special librarian position, check local sources because those are the places non-librarians are going to put them. 

I know there are tons of other sources out there, but these are what I consider the top 5.  What's your favorite library job resource?

Bread Q&A

Thanks everyone who emailed me, commented, or even Facebooked me their bread questions!  I'm very excited about doing this post and it has led me to the conclusion that I need to do a post, complete with pictures, on how exactly I make my bread.  

I have picked the three best questions to answer.  If you have more, or I didn't answer yours, let me know and I'll be sure to respond!

What types/brands of ingredients do you use?

I am really specific when it comes to my ingredients.  Part of it is because I want to make sure I'm using the best and healthiest ingredients and part of it is because I feel that certain brands truly make better bread.  

Flour:

I use a variety of flours, but the most important quality I look for in my flour is that it is unbleached.  Why unbleached?  Because bleached flour (probably what you buy unless you are paying attention) has actually bleach in it.  Yes, you read right! Bleach like you put in your whites to make them whiter!  When I found this out, I was so disgusted.  Why in the world would I want to put bleach in my body?  I don't, so I know buy only unbleached flour.  Here is a longer explanation of the difference in the two flours.

So what brands do I buy?  I buy Gold Medal most often, because it (very occasionally) goes on sale, or if I can't find that, I buy King Arthur.  KA is more expensive, but I would rather buy it than put bleach in my bread.  I'm lucky that my local grocery store, Publix, carries it's own brand of unbleached flour.  I've found it to be a good substitute for the others with the added bonus of being cheaper.  

 

I buy King Arthur whole wheat flour because I can rarely find another brand, and when I've tried other brands they haven't produced a satisfactory product.  I occasionally buy bread flour too when certain recipes call for it.  I also find it makes a better pizza crust for whatever reason.  When I have a lot of bread flour, I'll bake bread with it, but be careful because it cannot be used in cakes, pastries, or cookies.  It's decent in muffins and other bread-like products, but I find that bread flour is best only in yeast bread.  Gold Medal and King Arthur make good brands, but of course, Gold Medal is cheaper so I buy it.  

The most important thing to look for when buying flours is to make sure it is unbleached. 

Yeast:

There are several different kinds of yeast out there so it's important to know the difference before you buy.  I only buy instant yeast because it doesn't require proofing.  Here is good explanation of the two different kinds.  Instant yeast sometimes goes buy the name "rapid rise". 

I buy my yeast in bulk at Sam's.  The small packages and even the jars are just too expensive for the amount of yeast baking I do.  I bought 2 pounds of yeast in February and I still haven't made it through the first package yet!  It was a much better investment and since you can store yeast (in the package and in a tightly closed ziplock bag) in the freezer, I probably won't have to buy yeast for another year!  I buy Fleischmann's because I trust the brand and I can find it in bulk.  I've used other brands before, and they all seem to work the same.  Just make sure you store it in a cool, dry place and that it hasn't expired.  

Other ingredients:

I typically bake with organic fat-free milk because that's what we buy and it keeps the calories down in each slice of bread.  When I need sugar, I never substitute Splenda, but always use plain, granulated white sugar.  The same goes for salt; I only use regular table salt. I also only use unsalted butter, never margarine.

How long do you allow your bread to rise?  Also known as "how do I know if my bread has risen enough"?

This is tough, even for me.  I always have a really hard time determining if something has "doubled" or not.  Luckily, as long as you follow a few simple rules (and as long as your yeast is still alive), your bread should rise gloriously.  

1. Follow your recipe exactly.  That means don't over heat your water (a sure-fire way to kill your yeast), and mix and knead according to the recipe's instructions.  

2. Test after kneading to make sure your bread is ready to rise.  To test, simple give your bread a little poke.  If the indentation fills in quickly, you are ready for your first rise.  If it doesn't, then it needs a little more kneading.  

3. Allow your dough to rise in optimal conditions.  This means you should cover your dough and keep it it a fairly warm, draft free place.  Everyone covers their dough differently.  Some use towels, other plastic wrap, others use a shower cap.  I use a tea towel, which is different from a regular kitchen towel in that it isn't made of terrycloth.  I'm especially fond of ones that have ridges or some sort of indentation.  I dampen my tea towel with warm water before draping it over the bowl of dough.  Keep your covered dough away from windows and fans to prevent drafts and make sure the room is fairly warm.  Some people go to a lot effort in putting their bread in a preheated and then turned off oven or a warm microwave, but unless the house is really cold, I wouldn't go to all that trouble.  I keep mine near the walls, under the under-the-counter lights.  I think that's a perfect warm place for rising.

4. The first rise should be about an hour, depending on the recipe.  Use your recipe as a guideline.  If you come back after the time is up and your bread hasn't grown a good bit (a regular loaf of sandwich bread comes almost to the top of my bowl), then you did something wrong.  More than likely your yeast was dead to begin with or your liquids were too hot and you killed it. 

5.  Once you've rolled out your dough and shaped it, cover it again and allow it rise.  This is when it starts getting a little tricky.  Most recipes say to let it rise until doubled.  What does that mean?  I really can't tell, but I set the timer for the minimum amount of time given and then come back and test it.  If I poke it and the indentation fills in quickly, it needs to rise some more.  If it the indentation remains, the bread is ready to be baked.  If you are baking sandwich bread, the bread should have risen over the tops of the pans, but it shouldn't be spilling over.  Dough that has risen too much will collapse in a hot oven.  

Rising times will vary, but always start with the lowest amount of time specified and keep checking in 10-15 minute intervals if it's not done rising. 

How do you store your bread?  

I got this question for multiple people.  I store my bread in the refrigerator and the freezer.  If I make bread that we are going to eat within the next week or so, I allow it to cool completely, then I store it in a storage bag in the refrigerator.  I do this for sandwich bread and French bread, but I don't store muffins or crusty bread in the fridge.  Some people would disagree with me on storing bread in the refrigerator, but we've always stored it there and I've never had a problem with excessive drying.  One tip: don't slice it until you are ready to use it right then.  Sliced bread dries out much quicker.  Whole loaves of bread will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.

I store all bread products (muffins included) that I'm not going to be using for at least a week in the freezer.  To freeze bread, allow it cool completely, wrap in wax paper or parchment paper, place in freezer bag (be sure to label it!), and be sure to get all the air out.  I've kept bread in the freezer for over two months with no ill effects.  To thaw, place in the fridge overnight or on the counter for a few hours.  

Some people suggest freezing individual slices of bread for quick thawing and using.  I've found that this dries out the bread faster, but if you only need two or three slices at a time, you might try this.  I would freeze them on a cookie sheet over night and then transfer to a freezer bag.  

Whew! This was a lot of information! I hope this answers a lot of your questions.  If you have more questions, please don't hesitate to leave them in the comments or email me.  I'm happy to try and solve any mysterious bread problems you may have.  And look for a step-by-step process coming soon!