LPS mulls best Native books

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By MARGARET REIST / Lincoln Journal Star

A group of Lincoln Public Schools media specialists who mine multi-cultural literature to find the best books to fill school shelves have for years struggled with Native literature.

Does a story about the Navajo accurately depict their culture and history?

Do books tell a story in the way that the Iroquois or the Blackfoot or the Lakota would tell it? Is it historically accurate?

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Artwork from the book "The Indian in the Cupboard." (Courtesy photo)

Artwork from the book "The Indian in the Cupboard." (Courtesy photo)

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Do the illustrations follow the story or fall prey to stereotypes?

"My experience is, the more you do of it, the more you read ... the more you know you don't know," said Betsy McEntarffer, a member of the committee who works at the district office.

And so this year the committee, which compiles an annual bibliography of  recommended multi-cultural literature, faced the issue head on.

And in addition to seeking out the best Native literature it could find -- 128 new recommended books -- it took the unusual step of recommending school libraries remove 12 books from their shelves.

They've also compiled a list of recommended alternatives.

All the books -- a combination of fiction and nonfiction -- were full of stereotypes and misinformation, said Glenda Willnerd, coordinator of LPS media services.

"I think the bottom line is we just don't want misinformation going home or in our schools," she said. "We want to provide good quality literature."

The recommendation to remove certain books is not binding and school media specialists can make their own decisions.

Still, the committee didn't take the step lightly and based its recommendations on research and reviews of respected professional journals.

The committee regularly reviews multi-cultural literature and previews new books from publishers. If they find one that's objectionable, they send it back, Willnerd said.

Every year, the committee compiles a list of the best books and creates a display called MOSAIC.

They look for books written by those from the culture they're writing about, Willnerd said. That was a particular problem with Native literature because many major publishers have not published works by Native authors, she said.

"This is our job, to guide media specialists to good quality literature," Willnerd said.

It's also to find a balance between filling bookshelves with historically and culturally accurate information and maintaining the ideal of presenting all viewpoints.

"It is a balancing act," said Mary Reiman, director of LPS media services. "I don't know how else to define it. It's the hardest part of our job because we do believe in intellectual freedom."

Schools also must consider the students, making sure children of color see themselves in a positive and accurate light, Willnerd said.

Beverly Slapin, executive director of Oyate, a Native organization that critiques and evaluates children's books, doesn't think the LPS recommendations have anything to do with intellectual freedom.

Media specialists update their collections all the time to make room for new books, she said.

"The only time this becomes a problem or something people need to talk about is when it hits the multi-cultural areas."

No one would have qualms about removing a book that says Abraham Lincoln was the first president, Slapin said. But when cultural stereotypes portray Native -- or other minorities -- in a negative light it can cause harm, she said.

"Where do you draw the line in shame? How much shame do you want an Indian child to feel?"

Although Oyate recommends avoiding all the books recommended for removal by LPS, the district committee based its recommendations on various professional reviews, Willnerd said.

Those books needn't be removed from all libraries but should be used to teach about racism, Slapin said.

"I think they should be placed on really high shelves and be used to teach other than what they purport to teach," she said.

Deborah Stone, deputy director of the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom, said because the LPS recommendations aren't a mandate, they don't fall in the category of "banned or challenged" books.

Books that regularly fall into that category range from J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" to J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" books.

Challenges aside, all libraries re-evaluate their collections, Stone said. "It's called weeding," she said. "It can become controversial when somebody's classic becomes somebody's weeded material."

Normally, the outdated literature removed is nonfiction. American Library Association officials would prefer libraries keep fiction, adding other examples with accurate information for comparison.

"(Then) we can talk about why this happened," she said. "There's a value to the materials for that reason."

At LPS, some media specialists removed the books suggested for removal, others took them from the shelves but kept them in the library and others attached reviews pointing out misinformation.

Doug Hellerich, Holmes Elementary media specialist, removed them.

"My feeling is I want to have stuff that's accurate. If it's not accurate, I don't want it on my shelves."

Reach Margaret Reist at 473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com.