By Norman Oder

• Should a library add Daddy's Roommate?
• Know your community, whether it's Wasilla or Anchorage 
• What to do when a book disappears

Given the controversy over the gay-themed titles that allegedly raised the ire of some Wasilla, AK, residents, and the inquiries by then-Mayor Sarah Palin about the library's procedure for banning books, LJ decided to ask a veteran Alaska librarian about some of the issues raised. Charlotte Glover is the children's librarian at the Ketchikan Public Library, and the state Chapter Councilor for the American Library Association. She’s been publicly critical of Palin, but, as the interview shows, she thinks collection decisions should be local.

Q. Would you buy these books for your library?

A. Putting the controversy aside, and noting that I have a big Banned Books display up in my library right now, there are some cultural reasons why lots of Alaskan libraries might not have Daddy's Roommate. (I can't address Pastor, I Am Gay, because I just heard about it.) In almost 20 years as the children's librarian in Ketchikan, I have never purchased nor been asked about Daddy's Roommate.

We don't have a large gay community in rural Southeast Alaska—it's too hard to find partners... and I am fairly certain there are no gay families raising kids in Ketchikan. How do I know this? Because my best friend in Ketchikan is a lesbian in a longtime partnership and it's a small town. I am not aware of anyone raising young children in our gay and lesbian community. The vast majority are older couples who moved here after establishing their careers and meeting one another somewhere else.

How do you make your decisions?

Just as I would pass on really urban books, or one about New York City transit maps, or a biography of Bon Jovi, or books about ice hockey (no rink here), I use my limited dollars for the items that will circulate well. We buy lots of books other libraries would think are weird: about fishing, totem pole carving, coastal British Columbia, harvesting seaweed, cucumber diving, etc.

Still, things change.

Yes, and a good librarian is always open to new ideas. Our community, for instance, has a growing Hispanic population, so I am buying more and more books in Spanish, about places like Cuba and Peru (most of our families are from countries other than Mexico).

You say smaller and larger libraries have different constituencies.

In a small town there is a difference between having a book someone in your community will use and enjoy and buying something just because it is hot or controversial or new. I did buy the penguin book (And Tango Makes Three) that is getting lots of attention (two male penguins raise a baby) because I have a big demand for penguin books. [It also has been the subject of controversy.--Ed.] So, it doesn't surprise me one bit that Wasilla might not have Daddy's Roommate or Heather Has Two Mommies, but I would be furious if Anchorage did not because it would make sense demographically that they would have a gay and lesbian population raising kids. 

One could argue that it's nice to have a picture book for all situations in life, but it's my feeling that most parents would prefer to have those big conversations about sexuality or cancer or war when kids are a little older than the picture book crowd unless that is something the family is dealing with RIGHT NOW and then a picture book might come in handy. My son is almost eight, reading chapter books, and just starting to ask questions about his body, religion, war, etc. I think we'll find lots of age appropriate content for him in the nonfiction section of the library.

And, our college library has both Daddy's Roommate and Heather Has Two Mommies in stock a mile away, and if anyone were ever to ask about those books in Ketchikan, I could put them on hold for the patron and have them the next day. In my library, I need to save my maxed out shelf space for Rosemary Wells, Eric Carle, Fancy Nancy...the books that CIRCULATE, and we prefer not to duplicate seldom used titles that are available in another library in town since we are a consortium library with daily courier service to each location.

What do you do when a book disappears?

To the best of my knowledge, the gentleman who wrote Pastor, I Am Gay donated several copies to the Wasilla library some years ago [and those copies] disappeared later. A library can take two approaches to that "stealing the book" issue.... buy more copies or never buy any copies. A book with a relatively small print run could be a real pain to keep purchasing--there are only so many hours in a day...and I understand that the Wasilla bookstore refused to carry the book. So purchasing becomes a real challenge. You might be able to get additional copies from the author, but that is time consuming.

I am sure I have personally purchased at least 20 copies of Go Ask Alice over the years because it keeps "disappearing" and other titles but I may not buy the last anime set that disappeared from my video shelves. It really is up to the librarian and the limits of their budget. I have enough money to be stubborn, but I hate to throw it out the window. And it's not just controversial stuff..... New Disney films tend to disappear at my library, so I buy long after they are “hot" or new. It's a real balancing act.

Do you think Wasilla will accept the donated copies of Heather and Daddy's Roommate?

I don't know the current Wasilla library director. It would be nice to see that library make a big splash to the media about having these controversial titles, but I don't think that will happen, nor should it necessarily. Wasilla is still the bible belt of Alaska. The vast majority of the library patrons there really might be THAT conservative, so what is the librarian to do then? It's a fine art to read a community, and expand their minds, without getting thrown out of town! 

Do you think Wasilla should accept those copies just because of the current curiosity about them?

Personally, I've never liked didactic books that preach to children...about anything. They tend to be poorly written and have badly drawn art. There are lots of picture books I just don't have an audience for...the recent run of Holocaust-related picture books, for instance, is just not what my pre-school parents and teachers are looking for at bedtime and story hour, though I have a generous selection of related fiction and nonfiction in other parts of my children's library for more mature readers. If I lived in Skokie, IL, for instance, and I had grandparent survivors of the Holocaust using my library, I would likely think differently. The Wasilla library knows its patrons best, and they should be treated as the professionals they are and be allowed to decide what goes on their shelves. In Ketchikan, our patrons give us lots of purchase requests and ideas about what they would like to see on the shelves. We have plenty of controversial titles, but we never buy anything unless we have a user group for it.