The Daring Librarian

Our Middle School Library in Laurel, Maryland has been a loud and proud Safe Space and Ally for ALL of our  LGBTQIA and Neurodivergent students for years. We have purchased every well reviewed, requested, intriguing, and middle school approved fiction and non-fiction book on these topics. I daresay we have one of the largest collections around! We have Safe Space signs around, a rainbow narwhal (pictured above) and groupings of books on display all the time. I have also blogged about our support of our diverse communities. Dear Queer Teen - It Gets Better! - 2012  Create a Safe Space - 2018 BUT... I have strong opinions about putting a Genre label on these books. I am really cognizant that some of my Middle Schoolers are curious or questioning to learn more about but aren't ready to out themselves. To their peers and to their parents. This is yet another reason I'm against Genrefication. I know, among some of my other Future Ready Librarians this is a controversial topic....

Life is not filtered . But the Internet is - at my school. What are we teaching the kids?  How can we teach knowledge, discernment, and ethics without giving them a chance to make good choices and yes, sometimes mistakes? Celebrate: Banned Websites Awareness Day "AASL has designated October 3 as the second annual Banned Websites Awareness Day. To raise awareness of the overly restrictive blocking of legitimate, educational websites and academically useful social networking tools in schools and school libraries, AASL designates one day during Banned Books Week as Banned Websites Awareness Day. AASL asks school librarians and other educators to promote an awareness of how overly restrictive filtering affects student learning. The Freedom to Read Foundation and the ACLU are also supporters...." from AASL, Sept. 25; FTRF Blog, Sept. 25 Complimentary BWAD (Banned Websites Awareness Day) Webinar Join us! How to be a Ninja Warrior Filter Fighter!  Presenter: Gwyneth J...