Comments on: Reference Librarian At Center Of Controversy Over Common Reading Experience

By: ACRLog » Blog Archive » OSU-Mansfield Librarian Cleared Of Harassment Charge

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 00:59:07 +0000

[...] Several days ago ACRLog posted a story about charges of harassment filed against a reference librarian named Scott Savage over controversial books he suggested for the institution’s common book reading experience for freshman. On Friday, April 21 The Columbus Dispatch reported that OSU investigator T. Glenn Hill found that the charges of harassment had no merit. Savage was quoted saying “I was making a point. I want us to be aware of our biases.” Now exonerated, Savage is filing a complaint against his accusers. [...]

By: Suzanne Guinn

Suzanne Guinn — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 22:38:42 +0000

This smacks of Fahrenheit 451.
If faculty members are so opposed to something controversial, and/or something they don’t agree with, maybe it will raise the students’ curiosity enough to raise true and open discussions – no matter what the topic. Academic freedom is a two way street. Slander needs to get off the road.

By: Lucas Jackson

Lucas Jackson — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 17:22:08 +0000

Unfortunately, this seems to be a common response on university campuses. A university is supposed to be a place of learning and exploring. Being exposed to alternative ideas and views should be part of the education process. Students should be taught to think critically. Why universities have found themselves in an ideological war against what they perceive to be a conservative threat is a mystery. The fight over a book recommendation is just an example of an endemic problem on campuses. They have become places of close-mindedness instead of institutions to facilitate true learning.

Attacking the librarian for suggesting a book title, regardless of the content, should not be the response of open minded academics. Sitting in a library, looking at a display of censored and banned books reminds me that this is an ongoing fight, even in our institutions of higher learning.

By: Barbara Fister

Barbara Fister — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 13:26:14 +0000

Probably the only issue more likey to generate discord than what an institution’s Web page should look like is what the campus should read. It’s not an easy choice: the chosen book must be readily available (and affordable – not a hardcover), not so long or challenging that incoming first year students will be defeated by the task, not so simplistic that it sends the wrong message about academic expectations. It can’t be so bland or obvious that there’s nothing much to discuss, but it shouldn’t be offensive. And, of course, it should be well written. Add to that, many campuses invite the author to speak, so he or she must be charismatic, available, affordable, and alive.

What really makes a common reading choice interesting is the contest that takes place over what reading means. Social reading practices outside the academy tend to emphasize empathy and identification; the choices the characters make are the subject of discussion, rather than the choices the author made as an artist – which makes the Oprah book club very different in character than American Lit I. Students often come to college thinking there are two kinds of reading: reading for class and reading for pleasure. A good common reading helps them do both. Another area of contest is the purpose of reading together. For student affairs, the main point may be to practice discussion skills while reading a book that provides new students with material that can be related to adjustment to college. For faculty, practicing critical reading of a literary text may take precedence over any other reading strategy.

And that’s apart from the charged issue of what the book is about! That issue – in particular the political stance of a book and the message that sends – seems to have been the flashpoint here. But it’s certainly not the only one.

I’ve been compiling a list of common reading programs at colleges – and I am sure it’s not complete and would like to hear from schools who have such a program. As you can see from the books chosen, there’s a mix of fiction and current topics, with an emphasis on diversity.

Certainly there are plenty of good books a college could read together. But choosing the book will entail a lot of negotiation about why we read and what reading together can accomplish.