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Censorship and Selection: Issues and Answers for Schools, Third Edition
Henry Reichman
Item Number: 978-0-8389-0798-6
 
Publisher: ALA Editions
Price: $50.00
 
 
 
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222 pages
6" x 9"
Softcover
ISBN-13: 978-0-8389-0798-6
Year Published: 2001
Censorship! The word itself sparks debate, especially when the context is the public school. Since the publication of the second edition of this landmark book in 1993, wired classrooms, legal challenges, and societal shifts have changed the landscape for the free exchange of ideas. Completely revised and updated, this new edition remains the most comprehensive guide for protecting the freedom to read in schools.

For school librarians and media specialists, teachers, and administrators, Reichman covers the different media (including books, school newspapers, and the Internet), the important court cases (including recent litigations involving Harry Potter, the Internet, and Huck Finn), the issues in dispute (including violence, religion, and profanity), and how the laws on the books can be incorporated into selection policies. An entire chapter is devoted to troubleshooting and answering the question of "What do we do if . . . ?"

Look no further for the best and most specific information on providing access and facing challenges to intellectual freedom. You'll find answers if you are asking questions like these:
  • What is the distinction between making selection decisions and censoring?
  • What are the legal constraints on schools offering electronic information sources and the Internet?
  • What rights and responsibilities does a school administration have when faced with censorship challenges?
  • What are the legal precedents that have been set in recent cases relating to popular fiction (e.g., Stephen King, R. L. Stine, J. K. Rowling)?
Written by a longtime expert on the protections of the First Amendment and U.S. Constitution, the new Censorship and Selection will provide you with all of the need-to-knows for crafting a selection policy in the digital age.
    Foreword
    Chapter 1—Censorship in the Schools
    • What Is Censorship?
    • Censorship and Education
    • Censorship and Educational Excellence
    • Censorship or Selection?
    • Academic Freedom
    • The Extent of the Problem
    • Who Censors?
    • Motives for Censorship
    • Self-Censorship

    Chapter 2—Arenas of Conflict
    • The School Library and the Library Bill of Rights
    • The School Library: Selection Policies
    • The Classroom
    • The Student Press
    • Extracurricular Activities
    • The Internet

    Chapter 3—Issues in Dispute
    • Politics
    • "Dirty" Words
    • Profanity and Policy
    • Sexuality
    • Gay and Lesbian Literature
    • Sex Education
    • Violence
    • "Secular Humanism" and "New Age"
    • Witchcraft and the Occult
    • Impressions and Harry Potter
    • Horror Novels
    • Creationism
    • Racism and Sexism
    • The Case of Huck Finn

    Chapter 4—Establishing Selection Policies
    • Who Makes Policy?
    • Basic Components of a Selection Policy
    • Objectives
    • Responsibility for Selection
    • Criteria
    • Procedures
    • Controversial Materials
    • Reconsideration
    • The Completed Policy
    • A Working Document
    • Student Rights and the Student Press
    • Videos and the Internet

    Chapter 5—What Do We Do If . . . ?
    • Some General Rules
    • Preparing for a Crisis
    • Dealing with the News Media
    • Handling the Initial Complaint
    • The Reconsideration Committee
    • If They Won't "Play by the Rules"
    • If "The Community Is Up in Arms"
    • If the Challenge Succeeds

    Chapter 6—What Is the Law?
    • Basic Principles
    • Differing Views and Unresolved Issues
    • School Libraries: The Pico Decision
    • The Lower Courts: An Ambiguous Record
    • The Courts and Huck Finn
    • Religion in the Schools
    • Evolution and Creation
    • Student Rights and Student Press
    • Library and Curricular Censorship after Hazelwood
    • The Internet: Legal Terra Incognita

    Chapter 7—School System Checklist
    • Preparation
    • Response

    Chapter 8—Conclusion
    Appendixes
    A Access to Resources and Services in the School Library Media Program
    B Free Access to Libraries for Minors
    C Diversity in Collection Development
    D Workbook for Selection Policy Writing
    E Sample Selection Policy
    F Guidelines for Student Publications
    G Dealing with Concerns about Library Resources
    H Selected List of Concerned National Organizations
    I Summaries of Selected Legal Cases
    J A Selected, Annotated Bibliography on the First Amendment and Intellectual Freedom

    About the Author
    Henry Reichman, Ph.D., is chair of the history department and professor of history at California State University in Hayward. He is associate editor and principal writer for ALA's Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom and served as assistant director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom. Reichman is a graduate of Columbia University and earned his doctorate degree in history from the University of California, Berkeley. A specialist in Russian history, he is the author of a historical monograph and numerous scholarly articles and reviews.
    Reviews
    “...this new edition remains the most comprehensive guide for protecting the freedom to read in schools...Censorship and Selection will provide you with all of the need-to-knows for crafting a selection policy in the digital age.”
    —Adolescence

    Praise for earlier editions: "This is an absolutely essential purchase for schools and libraries—and in fact could be effectively used in workshops in those settings...This topic and this subject will never go away; in fact, the issues mutate and the groups who want to censor change their tactics—so it is vital that we all stay current and vigilant, and this work helps us do just that."–KLIATT

    “...an important book.”
    —Education Digest

    “With challenges to both public and school library materials on the rise, Reichman's manual provides sound practical advice on how to handle this complex and emotionally charged subject.”
    —VOYA

    “...focuses on the twin problems of book censorship and materials selection... Filled with valuable suggestions, this book informs and prepares school officials to deal with censorship and instructional material selection. It offers a concise summary of laws regarding library and textbook decisions and a three-page checklist that no school administrator should be without.”
    —American School Board Journal

    “...would certainly satisfy needs on this topic for librarians and media specialists, and is a great resource for teaching First Amendment rights in the classroom.”
    —School Library Journal

    “...a valuable part of the ‘arsenal of defences’ available to help in a confrontation with a would be censor.”
    —Orana