Kearney Public Schools Administration Office, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
KEARNEY — The Kearney Public Schools Board of Education members received an update from district libraries regarding the selection, de-selection and reconsideration processes of library books.
Book bans and attempted bans continue to hit record highs, according to the American Library Association. And the efforts now extend as much to public libraries as school-based libraries.
According to the American Library Association, the number of book titles targeted for censorship in school libraries saw an 11 percent increase over 2022 numbers and public libraries saw a 92 percent increase.
At the local level, a group of individuals have appeared at several board meetings and alleged that district library books contain sexually explicit materials and wish to see them removed.
Per the Kearney district, “The Board of Education delegates to the superintendent of schools the authority and responsibility for selection of library materials.”
“Students, caregivers, or citizens of our community may not agree with all of the perspectives or content in every book in the KPS library collection, but this is precisely one of the purposes of a library: to be a resource of many ideas for intellectual inquiry, consideration, and the development of critical thinking skills,” per the Kearney Public School district.
“Kearney Public Schools recognizes the Library Bill of Rights, as drawn by the American Library Association. The presence of any particular material in a school library collection does not imply the district’s endorsement of the ideas expressed in those materials,” the district stated.
“Responsibility for actual selection rests with the certified school librarians using the district selection criteria and procedures. Library book curation is a building-based process,” the KPS district noted.
“Individual school librarians best know the specific needs and interests of their school community and tailor their collections in order to ensure the resources and materials included in school libraries support the instructional and developmental needs of the children they serve,” stated the district.
Three district libraries told the board that the KPS Media Team of ten librarians collaborated on revising the selection, de-selection and reconsideration procedures. Examples of policies from numerous Nebraska school districts were used as a guide for the revision process.
The full selection, de-selection and reconsideration process can be found here.
Librarians continue to evaluate available resources and curriculum needs and will consult reputable and appropriate resources that include: published lists of recommended titles, professional review sources, national and state award lists, grade or interest level materials and actual resources will be examined whenever possible.
The librarians noted selection revisions that include book selection will now be conducted as a team. The building librarian will present potential additions to the library team prior to purchase.
Librarians will need to schedule a time to share lists, recommendations and collaborate on the curation of library books.
“Deselection is the careful and considered removal of materials from a library collection. It is an essential part of collection management and necessary to remain relevant to the curricular and community needs of the school district,” the district stated.
The librarians said materials may be de-selected if they are: in poor physical condition, have limited circulation records, no longer align with district curriculum, are outdated in content, use or accuracy, are superseded by new or revised information, are not appropriate in reading level or interest level and include duplicate information that is no longer in heavy demand.
The district librarians will work with the Follett Titlewise services to analyze the district’s collection at both the building level and the district level to determine our most outdated materials so they can prioritize those for de-selection and search for updated replacements.
“Kearney Public Schools respects the right of parents to help their students choose reading materials. Students’ ability to check out library materials or access their classroom teacher’s personal library can be provided freely with parental consent only after the parent or guardian has completed the KPS Library Use Parent Permission Form,” the district stated.
Objections to materials in the school library will initially be handled at the school level with
the school librarian.
The reconsideration process will include the following steps:
1. The complainant meets with the school librarian to discuss his/her concerns.
2. If the librarian and the complainant cannot resolve the issue, the complainant may fill out the Citizen’s Request for Reconsideration. The complainant may also include an additional statement expressing concerns about the book that will be shared at the Reconsideration Meeting. KPS will lend the complainant a copy of the book so the complainant may read the book in its entirety.
3. Once the reconsideration form has been turned into the school librarian, the KPS Director of Library Services will convene a team of at least five KPS librarians to review the material.
4. The KPS Librarian Team will each read the book in its entirety and fill out the Book Review Committee Worksheet prior to the meeting. KPS will provide a copy of the book for librarians to read.
5. During the meeting, the review committee shall consider the educational philosophy of the school district, reviews of the material by reputable bodies, and the objections of the complainant.
6. The building librarian will briefly attend the meeting to inform the committee about the material under reconsideration. The librarian will not stay for the discussion or vote.
7. After the review committee discusses the contested book, the members shall submit their completed Book Review Worksheets to the KPS Director of Library Services and a vote will be taken. The majority vote of the voting group will determine if the book is kept in circulation.
8. The Director of Library Services will communicate the decision of the committee to the complainant, the Superintendent of Schools, and the building principal.
9. Appeals of the decision shall be handled by the Superintendent of Schools.
10. Superintendent will apprise the school board of final decisions made on any reconsidered book.
The following rules are in place regarding the reconsideration process. Reconsiderations will only be received by residents within the Kearney Public Schools district. A citizen may not file a reconsideration if they already have a pending reconsideration file and the KPS library team will review a maximum of one reconsideration per month while the school is in session.
Also, the material will not be withdrawn while the decision is pending, the specific library title may not be reviewed for reconsideration if it has been reviewed in the past calendar year and the reconsiderations will be reviewed in the order in which they were received.
The librarians told the board that a committee of five school librarians will review the books that are under the reconsideration process. The superintendent will report to the school board the final decision made on any reconsidered title at the next scheduled meeting.
An additional recommendation that the book be given a mature theme label and remain in circulation in the current library collection has also been added.
New student support efforts have been added, the librarians said. Throughout the district multiple forms have been provided to help students select meaningful reading materials and understand themes presented in the books they pick.
Genre stickers help guide students to topics of interest, Boys Town hotline cards are located in the front cover of books with mental health themes at Kearney High School and Horizon Middle School.
Mature theme stickers have been placed on books that are tagged with that label in the district’s online catalog service.
The mature theme tag may be applied when independent review sources such as Kirkus, SLJ and Book list stat that the resources include mature content or Follett certified librarians have identified mature themes and confirmed their findings with the publisher.
The librarians said that out of their collection of over 5,000 books, 129 have the mature theme tag.
School board member Kathy Gifford thanked the librarians for the work they put into crafting the policies and procedures. She added that it is important to provide students with a variety of materials that will help prepare them to be able adults and citizens.
Board President Steve Gaasch also thanked the librarians for their time on formulating the process.
During the public comment period, there were six speakers who all alleged that there were sexually explicit materials in books that could be accessed by students.
Joe Maul, Chairman of the Buffalo County GOP, appeared and said that any book that could not be read openly to a crowd, such as at the recently held graduation ceremony, should not be accessed by students.
Maul questioned the policy that had been presented and suggested the board members shouldn’t follow it.
The other speakers echoed the sentiment and said the policy wouldn’t be effective.
