The Wood County District Public Library will keep three controversial Dr. Seuss books in circulation.
Library Director Michael Penrod said that as a government agency removal of the books would amount to censorship.
This week Dr. Seuss Enterprises, which controls the literary estate of Theodore Geisel, known as Dr. Seuss, announced it would no longer publish and license six of the beloved children’s author’s early books because they contained ethnic stereotypes of Asians, Africans, and Hispanics.
The titles are: “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” “If I Ran the Zoo,” “McElligot’s Pool,” “On Beyond Zebra!,” “Scrambled Eggs Super!,” and “The Cat’s Quizzer.”
“These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong,” the Dr. Seuss Enterprises press release stated. “Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises’s catalog represents and supports all communities and families”.
“That’s their right,” Penrod said Friday. “Our role at the library is a little different,” he said. “As a unit of government it would be improper to remove them.”
The library is guiding by the principle of allowing patrons to make their choices.
“And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” “If I Ran the Zoo,” and “McElligot’s Pool” are in the library’s collection.
These books offer the chance to discuss how publishing and what was considered acceptable has changed over time, he said.
This includes having a diverse collection that does reflect all those who use the library. Library staff are always available to help parents select those books.
In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests this summer, the American Library Association issued a suggested list of books addressing the issue of racial diversity and racism.
Penrod said he was pleased that the WCDPL had all those books already.
