The Questioning Librarian

I tend not to read as much fiction as I used to. Anymore it seems that one or other nonfiction works seem to capture my attention at any given time. This is not to say that I never read fiction; I read a lot of fantasy novels, and I also read a lot of works that are grouped into the category of Young Adult fiction. As a librarian working with the public, it is useful to be familiar with a range of what exists in both Young Adult and Junior Fiction, but the joy of this literature goes well beyond its utility. Some of the most interesting and innovative stories are being published by young adult authors, ranging from Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan to John Green's The Fault in Our Stars .  Previously I had read only one book by David Levithan, his collaboration with John Green, Will Grayson, Will Grayson , featuring the intertwined stories of two young gay men. That book was interesting enough that I wanted to read more by Levithan (I went on and read everything by John Green ...

Over a week ago, my alma mater, Clarion University of Pennsylvania, released what it touted as a "bold" and "ambitious" workforce plan for the next several years. The backlash was both strong and immediate, forcing the University Administration, currently headed by President Karen Whitney, to release a " Frequently Asked Questions " for its plan. The outrage on social media, as well as a MoveOn.org petition with several thousand signatures, doubtless have already channeled the displeasure of the community, alumni, and students with the plan. The University is accepting public feedback, but this seems to be only a political window-dressing for a plan that Whitney herself was  quoted  as saying "...is 95-98% a done deal." For over a week I debated over what form a blog on the topic would take, and while I realize that what I have to say here is little different from what I and others have already stated elsewhere, I feel the need to address thi...

For years now, I've seen posts and received emails calling for God to be allowed back in schools. This is a sentiment often expressed publicly by religious leaders in times of crisis, that whatever crisis is occurring at the moment is because we've turned our collective back on God, including kicking him out of schools. Famously the daughter of Billy Graham made statements to that effect after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, which have since passed into a form of internet legend. Yet, for all the publicity these statements get, for all the reblogging, sharing and forwarding that these statements get, calls to "let God back into schools," as one woman put it in a letter to the editor , are not just wrong factually but downright disingenuous.  Let's take the claim at face value for analysis. While the exact wording varies from person to person, the claim seems like it might best be stated as follows: a) God has been prohibited from (public) school...