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Q: So... if a book is missing from a school library, does this mean it is being “banned?”

A: No. It’s merely not being prioritized.

The same rag from which this story emanates had a story about 'what to do' with the evil Dr Seuss collection. To wit:

“Our position at NCTE, and mine personally, is the language of affirmation—to affirm marginalized students and authors and literature, and to affirm cultures and differences in students. I applaud [Dr. Seuss Enterprises] for presenting the statement and for stopping the publishing of those books, because they’re hurtful,” he said.

Librarians have several options in situations like this, Caldwell-Stone said: They can keep the book in circulation, they could move it to a research collection, or they could weed it out altogether. “Often, the decision is to keep the book in the collection, but it may not be surfaced in storytimes or displays,” she said. How libraries approach the Dr. Seuss books is going to differ, she said, based on individual guidelines for collection curation and community demand for certain books.

Still, said Caldwell-Stone: “This is a moment that offers an opportunity for adults to think critically about Seuss’ books, and to decide whether to share these books with the children in their lives.”

I NEVER saw racism in Dr Seuss...all I saw was a push for "ecology" (as environmentalism was called in the 70s) in The Lorax. (Theodore Geisel's WWII comic drawings of the Japanese, however, were pretty harsh by contemporary standards.) Indeed, The Sneeches is a powerful anti-racist (and, subversively, foments hate for bureaucrats and the slime that make a living fanning those flames) book.

Furthermore, just as an obstacle course trains you for real-life physical challenges, seeing books that are "off" preps you for discerning the real McCoy. Even in the 70s we kids could spot a stereotype from a mile away - we saw it in Buckwheat in The Little Rascles. We also understood that things were different in the 30s, and that each generation handles things their own way.

The research paper on which this story is based had some interesting additional findings. Schools in districts that went for Trump had relatively more Christian fiction. Fair enough. But...which branch of Christianity? On the Religion board at FR, there are spirited arguments about Catholicism, Calvinism, etc....would there be a massive food fight in a conservative town if a school introduced a pro-Catholicism teen book?

I believe there needs to be a separation of school and state. Public schools are a bigly part of the Comminist Manifesto. I'd privatize the school AND the library if I had my way.

That said, why does a school need a library if the Town has a public library? There is only so much money to go around. I bet thousands in savings can be had by consolidating the library operations.

The left would haaaaate that option. And maybe even some on the right.

Upon deeper inspection, notice that the leftist litmus test for book prioritization isn't necessarily racism or gender confusion. It is an inherent disdain for unbridled individual thought. Any kid confused about their sexuality will search the web before going to the library. Any kid who wants to read Dr Seuss or Christian fiction can also find it on the web. But if you put/de-prioritize these books in the library, you can force the contours of individual thought. THAT is the basis of this debate.