November, for me, is always a time for reflective thankfulness.

I am, indeed, thankful for so many things, including the following:  

• Personally, I am thankful for my husband, my son, my entire family, and my friends.  They are always there to listen and support me.
• In my job, I am thankful for all of the staff and teachers and, of course, my students. At the end of every day, if I take the time, I can think back to something that a student said or did and it will always make me smile (or laugh).
• Professionally, I am very thankful for MAME - for all of the MAME members.  It is wonderful to have gotten to know and work with such a caring and collaborative group of professionals.

Since the last newsletter, I attended a Library of Michigan Board Meeting on November 6th.  My report to the Board can be found here. At the meeting, I was overwhelmed by the response from representatives from MCLS, MLA, Academic Libraries, and the Library Board.  All groups want to support school libraries and school librarians.  As we move forward, MAME will be trying to work together with these groups to help support strong school library programs.

Thus, I want to THANK YOU for all you do or have done in your libraries and schools to support student achievement!  I am passionate about the fact that school libraries can make a difference.  Every time I meet and speak with a MAME member, it confirms my belief in this fact.  You all inspire me to keep advocating and to keep focused on what is best for our students. Thank you!  

All my best,

Kathy Lester, MAME President, 2014

klester1@comcast.net 

kathyL@mimame.org 

Below are the top reasons censors  give for wanting books removed from library shelves.  I have listed them in alphabetical order. Here's your chance to rank them in the correct order.

• Book "unsuited to age group"

• Homosexuality / alternative lifestyles

• Offensive language

• Sexual explicitness

• Violence

These reasons are tabulated from 5,000+ challenges reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom in 2000-2009. The ALA OIF has gathered information on challenges for decades. A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. The number of challenges reflects only incidents reported. The ALA OIF estimates that for every reported challenge, four or five remain unreported.

To report a challenge - real or potential - please complete this ChallengeReportGoogleForm.  Anonymity is guaranteed.
 

ANSWER: Correct ranking = 1) Sexual explicitness, 2) Offensive language, 3)Book "unsuited to age group",  4) Violence, 5) Homosexuality/alternative lifestyles
 
 

Martha Spear, Berkley High School Library Media Specialist, is MAME's Intellectual Freedom Chair.

If you need support or guidance regarding a Challenge, contact the  ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom or call (800) 545-2433, ext. 4220, oif@ala.org or Martha Spear directly @ mspear@berkleyschools.org.

Martha J. Spear 

mspear@berkleyschools.org 

248.837.8112 

Hi, there.  I'm a school librarian in Hamtramck, Michigan.  If you are not familiar, Hamtramck is an inner city district with a mostly immigrant population.  We are vastly underfunded.  Most of our children live below the poverty level.  I am the sole librarian left in the district.  The situation is dire.

 

• Attend the annual conference for FREE!
• Get rid of your "library/school" stuff at our auction at the conference
• Help support MAME
• Start each school year with a fantastic get-a-way

Many of you may have lost your library or become overwhelmed in your position, but knowing you have this wonderful group of friends is such a blessing. We also go into libraries to volunteer with special projects, if a request is made.

• Send out information in newsletters, listservs, emails about Speak Up

• Reach out to key influential people in your organization to help spread the word about Speak Up

• Include Speak Up information in your webinars or at your meetings and conferences over the new few weeks