Assignment+3

Nicole Lee, LIS22, Intellectual Freedom Assignment I spent many blissful hours reading the __Harry Potter__ series by J.K Rowling aloud to my son. We felt and still feel a great connection to the antagonist, Harry Potter, who lost his parents as a baby and spent his early years living a joyless life with his aunt, uncle, and cousin. Harry learns that he is a wizard and is sent to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry which places him in the center of a battle between good and evil. __Harry Potter__ is a classic adventure story about a boy’s journey to manhood with universal themes of friendship and overcoming adversity. Groups in at least 17 other states have tried to ban the __Harry Potter__ books since the first one was published in 1998, prompting the American Library Association to name the collection “the most challenged books of the 21st century.” According to the ALA, there were 26 challenges to remove the __ Harry Potter __ books from bookshelves in 16 states in 1999 alone. Its primary opponents have been parents and Christian groups. Challengers equate the books’ references to witches and magic spells with “evil” and believe the books are an attempt to indoctrinate children in the Wicca religion. In addition to concerns about spells and magic, after the Columbine tragedy in April 1999, parental concern increased about violence in books. Some opponents claim the Harry Potter series teaches violence. __ Sources __ Associated Press, __Georgia__ __Mom Seeks Ban on Harry Potter__, updated 9:24 a.m. ET, Wed., October 4, 2006, [|**http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15127464**] Weaver Dunne, Diane, __Look Out Harry Potter!---Book Banning Heats Up__, April 10, 2000, Education World, [|**http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin157.shtml**] deLuzuriaga, Tania, __Man from Ministry bans Potter__, October 25, 2007, The Boston Globe, [|**http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2007/10/25/man_from_ministry_bans_potter/**] ABC  School Library Way Anytown , USA October 20, 2009 Dear Concerned Parent’s Name: Thank you for contacting me to voice your concern about the inclusion of the Harry Potter series in the ABC Middle School library collection. I understand that you are concerned about the references to witchcraft and magic spells in the Harry Potter series and that you believe that these references are inappropriate for children and promote evil. ABC  Middle School   has a library selection policy, and the Harry Potter series was chosen for inclusion in the library in accordance with that policy. The policy states that books should be provided for the “interest, information, and enlightenment” of the school population. The Harry Potter series was chosen because it is in fulfills the policy’s commitment to “consideration of students’ preferences concerning materials for recreational purposes”. Further it states that a book should not be excluded from the collection because it presents views that are “unorthodox or unpopular”. Instead, the collection should include “the widest diversity of views and expressions so that the school population may choose widely from among conflicting opinions offered freely to them”. This policy was adopted in accordance with American Library Association’s Bill of Rights and Freedom to Read Statement. I assure you that at ABC Middle School any parental concern about our book collection is taken seriously. A plan to address such concerns is included in our school library selection policy and will be followed. In accordance with this plan, you have the right to meet with a committee consisting of a library media specialist, a principal, a teacher, and a parent advocate from the district. If you would like to have such a meeting, please contact me to arrange a convenient date. In the meantime, the Harry Potter series will remain on ABC Middle School’s shelves. I would be happy to aid your child in the selection of another book from our collection that does not include references to witchcraft and magic spells. I welcome your input on that selection, as well. Please feel free to contact me via email at **librarian@yahoo.com** or by phone at 876-789-3345. Sincerely, Nicole Lee Library Media Specialist, ABC Middle School