A couple of weeks ago I spent the day with my mentor. She is at another school within the same district. Her library is beautiful and filled from wall to wall with books. Kids are reading, checking out books, and waiting for some preferred titles.
I know that we checked out at least 400 titles in one day. I asked her why she thought her reading program was so successful. Along with incentives and healthy competition, her response was simply that they put books in their kids hands. They have what kids want. There were students checking out books on 2nd grade levels and 10th grade levels.
As we were discussing 'hot off the press' books, the topic of 'Urban Lit' or 'Street Lit' came up. We looked through this Summer's edition of a professional development magazine and it was spotlighting this trend in literature. She has several selections in this genre and can't keep it on the shelf...she also has an administration that supports her professional judgment.
I approached the media specialist in my media center with both the published article and some selections for a 'wish list'. Her response was that it was not middle school material; it was written for high school students. One of my concerns is that we have students within our population that should be in high school, students that are mature enough to read the selections and students that want to read them. I was frustrated with her response that I made a copy of the article and placed in my Principal's box with a 'wish list'.
Here is a link to an article in the School Library Journal:
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I thought we were supposed to make the media center warm and inviting? If we don't have what the students want to read, they won't come. It's like the movie Field of Dreams, "Build it and they will come." If we don't build a collection that will bring the students to the media center and support the curriculum, we won't have a leg to stand on when it comes time for budget allowances.
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