'Johnny the Walrus' is a board book available to children and families at Wake County Public Libraries (WCPL). WCPL say they purchased this book because it was requested by patrons and it provides balance to its collection. They stand by the purchase--to them, Intellectual Freedom, Right to Read, and balance means that, at times, titles that "may contain controversial, unorthodox, or even unpopular ideas" will be a part of the WCPL collection. Under their "Patron Protection" policy, "location and display of materials will not be influenced by the possibility that materials might inadvertently come into the possession of minors." 

Balance, Intellectual Freedom, Right to Read, Patron Protection--these are all things I (and many library staff) would normally applaud and stand by. They are core tenents of the library profession. But in this situation, WCPL are using these reasons to keep a book that should never have been included in the collection to begin with. 

WCPL has a collection development policy that outlines how they choose books. When library systems purchase books, they go by these policies to ensure that quality books that fit their mission and the rest of their collections are added. Books do not have to fulfill every requirement but here are a few that were blatantly ignored (and they are generally the deciding factors):

1. Positive/favorable reviews in professional journals -- there are no positive/favorable review in any professional journals. These professional journals go beyond the reviews patrons might rely on to buy books for themselves (such as on Goodreads and Amazon)--they are professional journals that look at overall trends, and understand the professions of publishing and librarianship, and are trusted in gauging the quality of books and the interest patrons will have in these books. 

2. Quality of work and qualifications of author -- not all "celebrity" authors are necessarily qualified to write a thoughtful children's book, but especially regarding this topic, a political commentator hardly seems qualified. This book was not written by a physician, by an expert in mental health, by a person with lived experience of being a transgender person.  The quality of the work is also questionable. It has the look of a self-published book, with artwork made on the crudest of programming. This artwork is not up to our usual standards. The publishing company may in time prove themselves, but they are a new publishing imprint from the Daily Wire, and their quality may not be there just yet.

3. Balanced and alternative points of view —this book certainly gives an alternative point of view but the inaccuracy, biased point of view does not mean it at all provides a balance to the collection. Consider a person who is questioning their gender or a parent of a person who is transgender, wherever they fall on a societal or political spectrum—does this book add to their knowledge? Yes, it is a work of fiction, but that does not mean the subject matter should be so flimsily handled. It is grossly inaccurate in the process a transgender person, or a parent of a transgender child goes through, and it is dangerous to both parents and children. 

Lastly, I am not a part of the LGBTQ+ community except as an ally. We have had employees of WCPL that identify as LGBTQ+ express their anger, sorrow, and fear in having this book as a part of the collection. In ignoring their staff and keeping this book, WCPL is creating a work environment where power, privilege, and ignorance are ruling, and they are doing it while waving around the exact principles we normally stand for (Intellectual Freedom and Right to Read). These are definitely tricky issues. I want to make it clear that I do not blame the people at WCPL who purchased this book--we do have the policies for a reason and that should have made this decision clear. But I do not know how much support the people who purchase these books have--do they have a wider circle to consult when looking at books that are outside their sphere of knowledge? How many people from minority and marginalized communities have a say in these final decisions? I normally think WCPL does a great job with the books in their collection, which is another reason why this particular choice is so alarming.

Please sign to tell WCPL to remove 'Johnny the Walrus'. 

For more background and information, these resources are available. 

Libraries and Hate Speech: ALA’s New Resource ‘Hateful Conduct in Libraries: Supporting Library Workers and Patrons’

Hateful Conduct in Libraries: Supporting Library Workers and Patrons 

Hateful Conduct in Libraries: Meeting Community Needs

Collection Development Policy for Wake County Public Libraries

Wake County Library Under Scrutiny After Adding Transphobic Book to Collection