Should School Libraries Monitor Kids’Books?

Mary Emma Allen — Sat, 23 May 2009 05:00:24 +0000

When discussing books with a children’s school librarian, I mentioned Twilight and the fact that so many youngsters are fascinated by Stephenie Meyer’s books. The librarian said that the series becomes a little more risqué in the subsequent books. So at that school, they limited the reading to Twilight, unless the student had written permission from the parents.

This was considered an appropriate policy, especially since students as young as fourth grade wanted to check out these books. This gave the parents input into their children’s reading selections.

This raises some interesting questions:

Do you think a school should limit a student’s reading material unless he/she has parental approval?

Do you like the fact that a school will check with a parent first?

Do you think the school or librarian should simply let children of any age read whatever books are in the library?

As a mother and grandmother, I like the idea that I’d be consulted and give input into my child’s reading matter. What do you think?