ImagineIF Libraries Kalispell branch launches section for challenged books

By TAYLOR INMAN
Daily Inter Lake | April 7, 2023 12:00 AM

ImagineIF Libraries officials have launched their solution for childrens’ books challenged by the public: a shelf in the children’s section of the Kalispell branch.

The library system’s board of trustees began mulling options for what to do with books objected to by members of the community last fall. “Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness” by Anastasia Higginbotham sparked the discussion.

The book, which discusses white privileges and racism, earned criticism from Dr. Michele Taylor in September 2022. She accused the book of creating “shame and condemnation in children, while burdening them with the problem of racism” and asked trustees to remove it from library shelves.

At the time, many ImagineIF board trustees agreed with her sentiment, but instead of removing it, they voted to create a special section for books that might be too complicated for a child to understand without the help of an adult.

“Not My Idea” now sits on a shelf in the children’s section, deemed the parental resources section, nestled between other books for both parents and children. There are many child rearing books covering a variety of topics as well as other children’s books covering delicate conversations, such as grief and divorce.

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