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Labeling & Rating Systems
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Frequently asked questions
What is the current situation?
What about directional labels?
How can I help patrons find materials?
Why shouldn’t we label materials with certain content?
Additional Resources
Can’t find what you’re looking for here? Use this search box to search the IFLS Article Index.
Additional Support from IFLS
Click on the green HelpDesk button and we’ll make sure the right IFLS staff gets that message right away. Can’t find the green button? Use this email: helpdesk@ifls.lib.wi.us.
What is the current situation nationally and locally with labeling?
Librarians use professional judgement and expertise to select, catalog and classify, place and promote materials to make sure that people can find what they want and need. Sometimes a label can help people more easily find what they are looking for, and sometimes labels can either intentionally or unintentionally restrict use.
Right now, there is an increase in organized scrutiny of library collections. These efforts are aimed at limiting access to materials, or in other words, censorship. Rating systems like BookLooks, created by Moms for Liberty members, are being promoted by groups and individuals as a way to restrict access. Some groups or individuals demand that libraries label materials, but this act can restrict access to materials, one of the ways materials are censored.
According to the ALA Freedom to Read Statement: “It is not in the public interest to force a reader to accept the prejudgment of a label characterizing any expression or its author as subversive or dangerous. …labeling presupposes the existence of individuals or groups with wisdom to determine by authority what is good or bad for others. It presupposes that individuals must be directed in making up their minds about the ideas they examine. But Americans do not need others to do their thinking for them.”
In short: When considering whether to add a label to an item in the collection, librarians should carefully weigh the way-finding benefits with possible negative consequences of applying the label.
How can labels or rating systems restrict use?
- Rating systems are privately developed using subjective and changing criteria and predispose people’s opinions about the materials when labels with rating system information are placed on library materials.
- This includes movie, game, and music ratings
- It also includes tools like BookLooks, created by members of Moms for Liberty and CommonSense Media’s ratings, to name a few.
- Rating systems can be a slippery slope to specifically restricting access to materials for certain ages and groups of people.
- Labels can be prejudicial or be viewed as prejudicial or as a warning, thus restricting access to materials by
- Negatively predisposing people’s opinions about materials
- Creating concerns that being seen with labeled materials will lead to judgement or harassment from others
What about directional labels that are designed to help people find what they are looking for?
It can sometimes be hard to tell whether a directional label could also be a prejudicial label, and there is some room for difference of opinion here.
- Many libraries use genre labels for fiction collections or in classifying picture book collections by broad subject.
- Most of these labels are considered viewpoint-neutral labels.
- Some labels are not really genre labels. “Diverse Books” or “LGBTQ+” are examples of labels that could be seen as a judgement or notice on the content.
- Some libraries, at the request of parents or school partners, have labeled books with Lexile labels or Accelerated Reader labels.
- Some point out that these labels restrict students from choosing books that are not within their assigned levels, and can also create tension for students reading below grade level.
- For others, it is worth the potential for judgment because this is seen as an educational tool that was specifically requested by partners, parents, and children to ensure that they can find the books that they need and want.
How can I help my patrons find materials that will be a good fit for them without labels?
- Reviews on the catalog–be sure to include as wide a range of reviews as possible
- One-on-one reader/viewer advisory services
- You can let library patrons know that there are independent rating services and show them how to access them as needed
Why shouldn’t we label materials with information about whether materials have violent or sexual content or content about sexuality and gender?
- This may restrict access (see above).
- There are people with varying attitudes, opinions, and experiences in every community. Therefore, making a judgment about what constitutes violence or sexual content for everyone is impossible. Is saying mean things violence? Is holding hands or kissing sexual content?
Additional Resources
Recognizing Both Active and Passive Censorship Practices by Dr. Emily Knox
Labeling and Rating Systems Q and A from the American Library Association
When Is a Book Ban Not a Book Ban: The Rebrand of a National Pastime by Kelly Jensen
Contents:
Rethinking Registration webinar
YS Check-in Follow-up
Book Give Away
TeachingBooks for Libraries
CCBC Choices
Share Your STEM Awesomeness
Rethinking Registration webinar
Wednesday, March 20, 10-10:30 am Register
Do you spend a lot of time creating and maintaining spreadsheets for registration? Does staff spend extra time finding and checking names on registration forms? Do you find yourself wondering why you are collecting names, phone numbers and other information? Do you even use that data? In an attempt to make her job and her co-workers’ jobs easier, Kathy Larson (River Falls Public Library) has completely gotten rid of spreadsheets that track Summer Reading Registration and 1000 Books before Kindergarten Registration. If you are interested in ways to continue to count the numbers but are sick of spreadsheets this webinar is for you, and just in time for summer program planning!
YS Check-in Follow-up
For those of you who couldn’t join us for today’s discussion on encouraging reading/engagement during the summer, here are some tips and ideas from participants.
Book Give-away
U.S. Cellular has donated over 300 paperback copies of Green Bay Packer running back A.J.Dillon’s picturebook Quadzilla Finds His Footing to Wisconsin public libraries. Not quite enough for all the libraries in the state. IFLS has 30 copies to give away to libraries in our system. Are you interested in adding this to your collection or using it as a prize? Please let me know if you would like a copy. We’ll send out as many as we can, while supplies last. First come, first served.
TeachingBooks for Libraries
There are so many great resources on TeachingBooks for Libraries, part of BadgerLink, to help you plan programs, displays, and readers’ advisory! If you haven’t explored it yet, check out these training opportunities:
- You can find recorded webinars on the BadgerLink Training Page
- Dive a little deeper on the list-making functions of TeachingBooks in the recorded webinar from IFLS
- Sign up for an upcoming session about Planning Public Library Programs with TeachingBooks on March 19 at 12:00.
CCBC Choices
CCBC Choices 2024, recommending 238 books published in 2023 for children and teens from birth through high school age, is now available!
CCBC Choices 2024 is a digital publication. Entries for each book include full bibliographic citation, annotation, age recommendation and cover image, and a link to the book’s entry in the CCBC-Recommended Book Search database, where custom lists can be created. The publication also includes an introductory essay and name/title index. A citation list (bibliographic information only) of CCBC Choices 2024 is also available on our websitRee.
To hear more from the Cooperative Children’s Book Center librarians, mark your calendar for May 15 and 16, when CCBC librarians will be in Eau Claire with books to examine for yourself and two workshops. More details coming in the next month.
Share Your STEM Awesomeness
From the Wisconsin Afterschool Network: The Wisconsin Afterschool Network is a statewide organization which works to support after school and summer programs and their staff in delivering high quality programming. One of the goals of the Wisconsin Afterschool Network is to empower educators who work with youth to lead engaging STEM activities. Organizations like yours (businesses, museums, libraries, STEM centers) are important resources for these educators. We want to learn about the work you do and how we can help you connect with Out-of-School Time programs in your area. Our hope is to develop a directory and map of STEM organizations in Wisconsin for educators to access on our website as a resource in their community.
We would appreciate you taking a few minutes to complete this survey to help us in our endeavor. Please consider sharing this survey as well with other organizations that serve educators and youth. If you represent a statewide organization, please include statewide resources, but also share with local organizations in your network who offer resources and services to educators.
Survey Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf91_Xon7pC0hxbtN_2q0IipbxxVrrzDWLCslAekF_hhnfbMQ/viewform
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MORE registration card: Spanish, double-sided
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MORE registration card: large print, double-sided
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Printable example: ILL paging slip
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About Marketing and Advocacy: go to the IFLS webpage for more resources
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Damage Report labels to be printed on Avery 5160 labels (pdf)
There are a few library directors in our system that are authors, and one of them has gone the mainstream publishing route. Shelley Tougas, the director at Hudson, has written several fiction and nonfiction books for middle-graders and now her picture book debut, Mommy’s New Friend, is due out from Macmillan’s Roaring Brook Press on February 20! It has positive reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, and we thought it would be fun to find out a little bit more about Shelley, her writing, and how it fits in with her work as a librarian.
How do you find time for writing/editing/book creation?
I’m figuring that out. I wrote and sold Mommy’s New Friend in 2018 when I was part time at the library. In the pandemic’s early days, I became a co-interim director when ours resigned. Cue the chaos: the pandemic, the job’s learning curve, starting grad school, a divorce, moving (twice), my mom’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent death, my child’s chronic illness, the library’s long-term funding crisis, a storm that destroyed part of our building. Needless to say, no writing. Now I’m back at it, though, by following the schedule I set to manage all of the above. I get up at 4 a.m. most days. I don’t cook, golf, bowl, knit, bike, shop or go to the gym (although I should). I work, write and read.
Does your work in libraries inform your writing in any way, do you think? And if so, how?
Absolutely. When you do storytimes, you learn fast what kinds of picture books engage kids. You also see gaps in the marketplace, and you pay attention to the disconnect between what gatekeepers think kids should read and what kids actually want to read. You see which book covers kids walk right past and which covers makes them stop and look. If you ask kids for their opinions on books, get ready. They won’t hold back.
Does your insider understanding of the publishing industry inform your library work? How so?
I didn’t work in a library until 2016, and that’s when I really absorbed the connection. I don’t think librarians fully understand they are the lifeblood of children’s publishing. How do quiet books get noticed? Librarians. Who helps reluctant readers find “their” books? Librarians. Who helps parents understand early literacy? Who fights for children’s right to read? Who ensures all kids have access to books that reflect their life experiences? Librarians, librarians, librarians. We build the entrance ramps from the book world to our communities.
What is your favorite part of the writing process? Your most challenging?
I’d write dialogue exclusively if that’s all you needed for a book. I also love research. Not fun: the first big revision, the one that requires a chainsaw when you want to use a scalpel.
Why aren’t kids books given the attention they deserve by mainstream media or by ‘intellectual’ media?
The mainstream media built its arts-and-culture coverage on elitism. There’s erosion, though, thanks to sites like Goodreads and passionate bloggers. The Internet gave readers control of platforms and gave them a voice. When reviewers actually write about children’s literature, they usually focus on the most serious, the most highbrow. They assume if masses of kids enjoy something, it must be terrible. When I was little, I used to put crushed Doritos on bologna sandwiches, so maybe they’re not wrong.
- Smokey Bear Reading Challenge
- Early Literacy Award Book Discussion
- Teen Internship Grant Opportunity
- Recommended Books by Indigenous Creators
- Teen Success in Amery
Smokey Bear Reading Challenge
The USDA Forest Service is sponsoring a Smokey Bear Reading Challenge in celebration of Smokey Bear’s 80th Birthday in 2024. This is a national challenge, meant to complement the CSLP Adventure Begins at Your Library theme, is designed for 4-10 year olds.
- Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction registered as the state participating library, and will be distributing incentives to all Wisconsin libraries in January. These incentives include:
- 1 roll of 500 Smokey stickers
- 50 Smokey cards
- 1 Smokey stamp
- Libraries do not need to register individually for this, everyone will receive the incentives
- The Smokey Bear Reading Challenge Toolkit is available now, it includes posters, bookmarks, reading lists, reading logs, and activities.
Early Literacy Award Book Discussion
The CLEL (Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy) Bell Picture Book Awards are an annual recognition of five high-quality picture books that provide excellent support of early literacy development in young children. The 10th Annual CLEL Bell Award Shortlist has been announced! The shortlist of 25 titles, five for each early literacy practice (READ, WRITE, TALK, PLAY, SING) was chosen from 91 nominations from committee members.
Wouldn’t it be cool to discuss these books with your colleauges? Join us on January 17, 2-3:30 pm to do just that (via Zoom). Register by January 12. You can read five books or all 25.
Here’s what we’ll do at our discussion:
- Think about how to support emerging readers and families with excellent new titles
- Practice your book evaluation skills in a safe and not-too-overwhelming context
- Have a good time talking about books with colleagues from around the system (and state)
- Get prepared to vote for your own favorites by January 30
Because this check-in has more structure, directors needing contact hours for certification can count 1.5 hours.
****Note: there are a few books that no library in IFLS owns. Please consider purchasing one or all of the following books that have received accolades from librarians interested in early literacy!
- The Wheels on the Bus: Touch and Trace Nursery Rhymes Illus. by Emily Bannister. Silver Dolphin Books
- I Love You Mucho Mucho. By Rachel Mas Davidson. Beaming Books
- Mama Shamsi at the Bazaar by Mojdeh Hassani, Samira Iravani, and illus. By Maya Fidawi. Dial Books.
- 1,2,3 Merengue! By Delia Ruiz and Graziela Andrade. Soaring Kites Books
Teen Internship Grant Opportunity
Save the Date for an informational webinar to help you understand more about the 2024 Teen Internship program, which will award 5 libraries with a grant to enable them to hire a teen intern for the summer. For more information about the informational webinar and about the program in general, check out the post in the Wisconsin Libraries for Everyone blog.
Recommended Books by Indigenous Creators
Check out the Year in Review book list from American Indians in Children’s Literature!
Teen Success in Amery
Emma Novak has had an increasing number of teens attending a teen after-hours event, and last week had a record number of teens attending. Eighteen teens at any library event in any size town is a noteworthy event. Here’s Emma’s secret: “The pizza helped get them in the door at first, but the reason why they came back with their friends was to play Grog. They love scaring each other and exploring the library with the lights dimmed.” Next month, she’s hoping to introduce them to Zombie Tag and Hide and Seek, but she’ll also have some crafts and board games for those who like calmer activities, too.