[Libs-Or] Information about George and Oregon Battle of the Books, and potential for challenges in libraries

[Ross Betzer]

 You may have heard about the controversy surrounding the selection of
*George *by Alex Gino as part of the 3-5 grade booklist for the 2019 Oregon
Battle of the Books (OBOB). The book is about a 4th grader coming out as
transgender. There has been objection by some to content in the book and
its inclusion in the OBOB program.

The situation has generated an increasing amount of media attention of
late, and that will probably only increase. (For an example, see "2nd
school district scraps Oregon Battle of the Books over novel about trans
child
<http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2018/05/2nd_school_district_scraps_ore.html>"
from Oregonlive.com, originally posted 5/1/18).

OBOB followed a formal process when they selected this title and all the
the other books that are on the reading lists. *George is being retained as
one of next year's OBOB books. *

OBOB and Oregon Association of School Libraries (OASL) leadership have been
meeting and responding to the reaction that this book has generated. OLA
and OASL are working on a statement in support of the book's selection. A
list of contacts for the media is being created. The OLA Intellectual
Freedom Committee <http://www.olaweb.org/if-home> (IFC) is in communication
with the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom.

*The attention on this book may lead to challenges or other attempts to
curtail access in libraries. *Now is a good time to prepare for such
challenges. Review your collection development policy and your policy for
when you receive challenges. When you get a challenge, stay calm, listen
respectfully to the complainant, and follow your library's process for
patron concerns about library materials.

If you need help or advice or just a sympathetic ear regarding intellectual
freedom issues at your library, please reach out to the OLA IFC (
ifc.members at olaweb.org), the OLA IFC chair (ifc.chair at olaweb.org), and/or
the OASL IF chair (intellectualfreedom at oasl.olaweb.org). Be sure to report
any challenges at your library to the State Library's Oregon Intellectual
Freedom Clearinghouse
<http://www.oregon.gov/osl/LD/Pages/projects/OIFC/index.aspx>.

Thank you for the work you do every day in supporting intellectual freedom
in Oregon libraries!

Sincerely,

Ross Betzer

Chair - Oregon Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee
Local Resource/Catalog Librarian - Multnomah County Library
ifc.chair at olaweb.org
My preferred pronouns are he/him/his
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