Webster Library's Book-Challenge Process, Explained
A recent public Facebook post has put Webster Public Library's formal review process in the spotlight. Here is how that process actually works, step by step.
A Webster resident's public Facebook disclosure that he challenged a library book has put the Webster Public Library's formal review process in the spotlight.
Webster Public Library Director Adam Traub described the process in detail in a phone interview on May 22.
Any resident who objects to a book in the library's collection is asked to submit a Library Material Comment Form. From there, the review follows a structured sequence:
- Committee convened. Traub assembles a panel of three librarians — in practice, himself and the library's two assistant directors. Any librarian who originally selected the challenged book is recused from the panel.
- Board notified. The library board is informed that a review is underway.
- Reading period. Each committee member reads the book in full. The library gives itself two weeks to complete the review.
- Recommendation issued. The committee can reach several possible conclusions. If it finds the book should be removed from the collection entirely, any replacement fee already collected could be used to acquire a different title rather than repurchase the same one.
- Complainant notified. The resident receives a written letter with the committee's findings and the library's rationale, and may appeal the outcome to the library board.
The library's Collection Development Policy is published on the library's website under About Us, then Policies. A Library Material Comment Form is also available on the library's Policies page under the Collection Development Policy link.
When a patron acts outside the process
The formal process is not the only path a patron might take. When a book leaves the library, the library distinguishes between two outcomes. If a book is removed without being checked out, that is treated as theft and reported to police. If a book is properly checked out and not returned by its due date, the library issues a replacement fee and acquires another copy. State law prohibits the library from discussing the details of any individual patron's account activity.
About the book
The book that drew public attention in this case is "Flamer," by Mike Curato, a graphic novel about a teenage boy at a Boy Scout summer camp who is bullied as he comes to terms with being gay. It is shelved in the teen section and written for teen and young-adult readers. Webster Public Library owns one copy, and the Monroe County library system holds 21 copies in total. The book won the 2021 Lambda Literary Award in the LGBTQ Young Adult category and has appeared on the American Library Association's most-challenged books list in two of the past three years, ranking fourth in 2022 and fifth in 2023.
Webster's copy was on display for AAPI Heritage Month because the author is of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage and the book is well-reviewed, Traub said.
How often does this happen?
Traub said Webster Public Library has fielded six formal book challenges since he became director, compared with none under his predecessor. He described the pattern as part of a national trend.
His standard advice to patrons who encounter a book they find offensive is straightforward.
"If there's a book you don't like or find offensive in the library, just put it back on the shelf because there's plenty in here to offend everybody," Traub said.
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