From School Library Journal comes an article about that shaky line between selection and censorship for librarians buying books. To put it another way, the line between, "My library doesn't need this book," and "I don't need the grief this book will bring me."
It's good stuff--thought-provoking for anyone who's ever had to decide whether to keep or chuck a book, or even to order it at all. Teen books especially suffer from this, as librarians decide that a book is too mature for the kids or too risky for the community or even that it goes against their personal beliefs.
The exciting part, even in a Very Serious Article? The Cybils got mentioned! Last year's YA winner, Barry Lyga's Boy Toy, is discussed as an example of a book that didn't get to kids because librarians simply didn't order it. I'm doubly excited because I was on the YA committee that year. Feels kinda awesome, I must say.
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