Spring 2007 - YALSA - American Library Association

alexander and miseliscan lead to suicide and other negativeconsequences.Similar to Survey One, Survey Two’sresponses regarding type and location oflibraries and numbers of challenges do notnecessarily provide any conclusive information;however, as with Survey One, theresponses to “How did your library handlethis opposition?” and “Why do you thinkyour GLBTQ materials or programs havenever been challenged?” provide evidencethat challenges to GLBTQ materials areunsuccessful when the library is preparedwith a strong policy, good reviews to supportthe materials, and the support ofknowledgeable administrators.Finally, the responses to “Why do youthink your materials or programs havenever been challenged?” bring up severalquestions. The most common reply indicatedthat challenges didn’t exist becausethe library was located in an urban or liberalpart of the country. Further researchwould need to be conducted about thisperception. Perhaps ALA’s book challengedata could shed some light on this question.The second most frequent responseindicated that there were no challengesbecause many adults who might beoffended by GLBTQ-themed materials donot frequent the YA section of the libraryand do not know the materials exist. Thissuggests that librarians could reach theteens that need them and avoid book challengesby simply including these materialsin their collections quietly. Unfortunately,this solution runs counter to the suggestionin the literature that these librarymaterials should be made more visibleand accessible so that they reach moreteens. Related to this method of collectiondevelopment was the response that thesematerials were not challenged because thelibrarians did not openly promote theirpresence in the collection. Not previouslymentioned was that five respondents saidthey were surprised they had not received achallenge or that they expected one at anyTable 2. Survey One—Reasons For No GLBTQ Teen ProgrammingReason For NoTeen ProgrammingThere is no interest and/or demand in ourcommunityTeen programming includes all teens, not justGLBTQTotal No.of LibrariesUsing This ReasonPercent ofTotal14 15.623 25.6Our library has no programming 10 11.1Our library has no teen programming 9 10.0No staff and/or administrative support 10 11.1Community too conservative to tolerate GLBTQ 5 5.6Student groups or outside agencies fill this role 12 13.3Unknown/blank 6 6.7Other 1 1Total 90 100Table 3. Survey Two—Why Librarians Think Their GLBTQ MaterialsAre Not ChallengedReasonNo. ofRespondentsPercent of Respondentsto This QuestionLiberal/urban environment 15 28.3Do not know materials are there 12 22.6Strong support for materials fromadministrationSurprised that materials have not beenchallenged5 9.45 9.4Keep a low profile 5 9.4Support for materials from good reviews 3 5.7Anti-harassment/discrimination policy 2 3.8Active YA/GSA/Lambda group 2 3.8Parents do not know what their kids arereading3 5.7Librarian’s good rapport with parents 1 1.9Total 53 100Spring 2007 | Young Adult Library Services | YALS 47