Arguing Book Bans: A Critical Analysis of Public Forums at School Board Meetings

Kim Reichenbach Krutka

doi:10.21900/j.rydl.v6i1.1380

Authors

Kim Reichenbach Krutka University of North Texas

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21900/j.rydl.v6i1.1380

Keywords:

book bans, Critical Race Theory, whiteness as property, counter-storytelling, libraries

Abstract

To examine and define issues related to current book banning efforts, I first identified a foundation for this study by discussing the importance of book collections, library origins and resistance to change, and current social and political issues influencing libraries. Through a directed content analysis, I utilized Critical Race Theory’s tenets of whiteness as property and counter-storytelling to analyze a school district’s board meeting public forums. This method and theoretical lens provided understanding for an oppressive library ideology that is promoted at school board meetings. School librarians should instead choose to enact a liberatory library ideology within their libraries.

References

Adam, Helen. “When Authenticity Goes Missing: How Monocultural Children’s Literature is Silencing the Voices and Contributing to Invisibility of Children from Minority Backgrounds.” Education Sciences, vol. 11, no. 1, 2021, pp. 32–50.

Bishop, Rudine Sims. “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors.” Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom, vol. 6, no. 3, 1990, pp. ix–xi.

“Book Censorship Database by Dr. Tasslyn Magnusson.” EveryLibrary Institute, www.everylibraryinstitute.org/book_censorship_database_magnusson.

Burns, Elizabeth A. “Weaving Diversity into LIS Instruction: Equity Behaviors to Create the Tapestry of Inclusive Library Practice.” 2021: IASL Conference Proceedings (Denton, Texas): A Rich Tapestry of Practice and Research Around the World, 2021.

Cahill, Maria, Erin Ingram, and Soohyung Joo. “Storytime Programs as Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors? Addressing Children’s Needs Through Diverse Book Selection.” The Library Quarterly, vol. 91, no. 3, 2021, pp. 269–284.

Church, Abby. “Candidates Backed by Conservative PACs Dominate School Board Races in Fort Worth Suburbs.” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 May 2022, www.startelegram.com/news/politics-government/election/article21190752.html.

Colby, Susan A., and Anna F. Lyon. “Heightening Awareness About the Importance of Using Multicultural Literature.” Multicultural Education, vol. 11, no. 3, 2004, pp. 24–28.

Cooke, Nicole A. “Counter-Storytelling in the LIS Curriculum.” Perspectives on Libraries as Institutions of Human Rights and Social Justice, edited by Ursula Gorham, Natalie Greene Taylor, and Paul T. Jaeger, et al., vol. 41. Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2016, pp. 331–348.

Crenshaw, Kimberlé, Neil Gotanda, Gary Peller, and Kendall Thomas, editors. Critical Race Theory: The Key Writings That Formed the Movement. The New Press, 1996.

Delgado, Richard. “Storytelling for Oppositionists and Others: A Plea for Narrative.” Michigan Law Review, vol. 87, no. 8, 1989, pp. 2411–2441. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/1289308.

“EFB—Instructional Resources: Library Materials.” Keller ISD Board Policy Manual, Nov. 2022, pol.tasb.org/PolicyOnline/PolicyDetails?key=1103&code=EFB.

“EMB—Miscellaneous Instructional Policies: Teaching About Controversial Issues.” GrapevineColleyville ISD Board Policy Manual, June 2022, pol.tasb.org/PolicyOnline/PolicyDetails?key=1102&code=EMB.

Friedman, Jonathan, and Nadine Farid Johnson. “Banned in the USA: The Growing Movement to Ban Books.” PEN America, 19 Sept. 2022, pen.org/report/banned-usa-growingmovement-to-censor-books-in-schools/.

Gibson, Amelia N., Renate L. Chancellor, Nicole A. Cooke, Sarah Park Dahlen, Shari A. Lee, and Yasmeen L. Shorish. “Libraries on the Frontlines: Neutrality and Social Justice.” Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, vol. 36, no. 8, 2017, pp. 751–766.

———, ———, ———, ———, Beth Patin, and Yasmeen L. Shorish. “Struggling to Breathe: COVID-19, Protest and the LIS Response.” Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, vol. 40, no. 1, 2020, pp. 74–82.

Harris, Cheryl I. “Whiteness As Property.” Harvard Law Review, vol. 106, no. 8, 1993, pp. 1707–1791. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/1341787.

Hefflin, Bena R., and Mary Alice Barksdale-Ladd. “African American Children’s Literature that Helps Students Find Themselves: Selection Guidelines for Grades K-3.” The Reading Teacher, vol. 54, no. 8, 2001, pp. 810–819.

Hixenbaugh, Mike. “Conservative Christian Cellphone Company Patriot Mobile Wins Control Over Four Texas School Boards.” NBC News, 25 Aug. 2022, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/-christian-cell-company-patriot-mobile-took-fourtexas-school-boards-rcna44583.

Hsieh, Hsiu-Fang, and Sarah E. Shannon. “Three Approaches to Qualitative Content Analysis” Qualitative Health Research, vol. 15, no. 9, 2005, pp. 1277–1288.

Hudson, David James. “On ‘Diversity’ as Anti-Racism in Library and Information Studies: A Critique.” Journal of Critical Library and Information Studies, vol. 1, no. 1, 2017, pp. 136.

Hughes-Hassell, Sandra. “Multicultural Young Adult Literature as a Form of CounterStorytelling.” The Library Quarterly, vol. 83, no. 3, 2013, pp. 212–228.

———, Elizabeth Koehler, and Ernie J. Cox. “Through Their Eyes: The Development of SelfConcept in Young African American Children Through Board Books.” Children & Libraries, vol. 9, no. 2, 2011, pp. 36–41.

Jennings, Alyssa, and Kristine Kinzer. “Whiteness From the Top Down: Systemic Change as Antiracist Action in LIS.” Reference Services Review, vol. 50, no. 1, 2021, pp. 64–80.

Jensen, Kelly. “The Biased Online Book Ratings Systems Undermining Professional Review Sources: Book Censorship News, November 4, 2022.” Book Riot, 11 Nov. 2022, bookriot.com/biased-online-book-ratings-systems.

———. “How Moms for Liberty’s Book Ratings System Enters Schools: Book Censorship News, June 10, 2022.” Book Riot, 16 June 2022, bookriot.com/book-censorship-newsjune-10-2022.

Kim, So Jung, Su-Jeong Wee, and Young Mi Lee. “Teaching Kindergartners Racial Diversity Through Multicultural Literature: A Case Study in a Kindergarten Classroom in Korea.” Early Education and Development, vol. 27, no. 3, 2016, pp. 402–420.

Kumasi, Kafi D., Cynthia Jimes, Amee Evans Godwin, Lisa A. Petrides, and Anastasia Karaglani. “A Preliminary Study Interrogating the Cataloging and Classification Schemes of a K-12 Book Discovery Platform through a Critical Race Theory Lens.” Open Information Science, vol. 4, no. 1, 2020, pp. 106–121.

Leung, Sofia, and Jorge López-McKnight. Knowledge Justice: Disrupting Library and Information Studies Through Critical Race Theory. The MIT Press, 2021.

“Library Professionals: Facts & Figures.” The Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO, 16 Apr. 2023, https://www.dpeaflcio.org/factsheets/library-professionals-facts-andfigures.

Lugo Vázquez, Sujei. “The Development of US Children’s Librarianship and Challenging White Dominant Narratives.” Knowledge Justice: Disrupting Library and Information Studies Through Critical Race Theory, edited by Sofia Leung and Jorge López-McKnight, The MIT Press, 2021, pp. 177–195.

Mehra, Bharat. “Social Justice Design and Implementation: Innovative Pedagogies to Transform LIS Education.” Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, vol. 62, no. 4, 2021, pp. 460–476.

———, and LaVerne Gray. “An ‘Owning Up’ of White-IST Trends in LIS to Further Real Transformations.” The Library Quarterly, vol. 90, no. 2, 2020, pp. 189–239.

Prescott, Melissa K., Kristyn Caragher, and Katie Dover-Taylor. “Disrupting Whiteness: Three Perspectives on White Anti-Racist Librarianship.” Topographies of Whiteness: Mapping Whiteness in Library and Information Science, edited by Gine Schlesselman-Tarango, Library Juice Press, 2017, pp. 293–317.

Salem, Linda. “How Diverse is the Academic Library Children’s Picture Book Collection? Using Diverse Bookfinder’s Content Analysis, Demographic Data, and Historical Bibliographies to Analyze a Picture Book Collection.” Collection Management, vol. 47, no. 2–3, 2022, pp. 115–135.

Schwartz, Jeremy, and Mike Hixenbaugh. “North Texas Superintendent Targets Books About Transgender People.” The Texas Tribune, 25 July 2022, www.texastribune.org/2022/03/23/north-texas-superintendent-targets-books-abouttransgender-people.

Scott, Dani, and Laura Saunders. “Neutrality in Public Libraries: How Are We Defining One of Our Core Values?” Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, vol. 53, no. 1, 2021, pp. 153–166.

Snow, Karen, and Anthony W. Dunbar. “Advancing the Relationship Between Critical Cataloging and Critical Race Theory.” Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, vol. 60, no. 6–7, 2022, pp. 646–674.

Solórzano, Daniel G., and Tara J. Yosso. “Critical Race Methodology: Counter-Storytelling as an Analytical Framework for Education Research.” Qualitative Inquiry, vol. 8, no. 1, 2002, pp. 23–44.

Stewart, Mary Amanda. “‘I Love This Book Because That’s Like Me!’ A Multilingual Refugee/Adolescent Girl Responds From Her Homeplace.” International Multilingual Research Journal, vol. 11, no. 4, 2017, pp. 239–254.

Suzuki, Tadayuki, Darryn Diuguid, and Barbara A. Ward. “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors: Exploring the 2020 Rainbow Book List.” Children and Libraries, vol. 19, no. 3, 2021, pp. 3–6.

Tschida, Christina M., Caitlin L. Ryan, and Anne Swenson Ticknor. “Building on Windows and Mirrors: Encouraging the Disruption of ‘Single Stories’ Through Children’s Literature.” Journal of Children’s Literature, vol. 40, no. 1, 2014, pp. 28–39.

Voter Perceptions of Book Bans and Censorship. EveryLibrary Institute, Sept. 2022, https://assets.nationbuilder.com/votelibraries/pages/5616/attachments/original/166325862 0/Voter_Perceptions_of_Books_Bans_and_Censorship.pdf.

Zilonis, Mary Frances, and Chris Swerling. “Building School Library Collections with Windows and Mirrors.” Intellectual Freedom Issues in School Libraries, edited by April M. Dawkins, Libraries Unlimited, 2020, pp. 181–183.

Arguing Book Bans: A Critical Analysis of Public Forums at School Board Meetings

Authors

DOI:

Keywords:

Abstract

References

Downloads

Published

Issue

Section

License