Taylor joins UA debate team for discussion of library books
Posted on Thursday, October 6, 2005
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Fayetteville School Library Book debate
Fayetteville resident Laurie Taylor has made a proposal to place certain Fayetteville Public School library books she considers to be inappropriate for students on a restricted access shelf. Fayetteville School District patrons received a chance to voice their opinions on whether to restrict student access to certain school library books at a special town hall meeting. The Fayetteville School board eventually decided by a narrow margin not to restrict access to certain books. The stories below cover the issue from its beginings through the decision by the school board and the aftermath.
- School board spends much of 2005 debating books (01-01-2006)
- Taylor becomes public figure with war against books (01-01-2006)
- Times Editorial : A good sign (10-06-2005)
- · Taylor joins UA debate team for discussion of library books (10-06-2005)
- School committee says ‘crude’ book to stay in FHS library (10-05-2005)
- UA debate team addressing school’s recent book issue (10-05-2005)
- Books wonít be restricted (09-16-2005)
- Times Editorial : Back to the books II (09-15-2005)
- The great book debate (09-14-2005)
- Times Editorial : Back to the books (09-13-2005)
The University of Arkansas debate team took turns Wednesday evening arguing for and against local resident Laurie Taylor's proposal to place certain Fayetteville Public School library books on a restricted access shelf.
Each side was allotted equal time to speak for and against the proposal. Students Adam Ward and Ryan Ouyoumjian argued for Taylor's proposal, while Wolfgang Robinson and Ron Cardwell spoke against it.
As is standard with academic debate competitions, the students' arguments did not necessarily reflect their personal views.
The team also invited Taylor to personally speak in favor of her proposal for 10 minutes as a guest speaker. Tim DeNoble, who is an associate professor of architecture at the UA, spoke against the books.
About 100 people, mostly college students, attended the debate.
Taylor caused a stir this summer when she announced she had identified 70 books in the school library that she found objectionable. She has since publicly identified 54 specific titles.
The Fayetteville School Board decided last month it couldn't restrict student access to books, but the board did direct the administration to form a committee to review book selection procedures.
The debate centered on a proposal Taylor has made to place sexually explicit books on a restricted access shelf. She has argued that a parentled committee should review and decide what books to place on such a shelf, and students should then only be able to check out such books with parental consent.
Speaking for Taylor's proposal, Ward noted a book on her list titled "Deal With It"was removed from New York Public Schools libraries.
Robinson argued that the libraries were obliged to offer a diverse selection of books. The burden should be on the parents to inform the library what they don't want their children reading.
He also argued that whether or not a book is obscene depends on how it is viewed "as a whole,"and such a judgment shouldn't be based on isolated passages.
Ouyoumjian said there is no good way for parents to know the content of every book in the library. He also argued a book like "Push,"which is about a teenage victim of incest, doesn't have educational value.
Cardwell pointed out that many of the books have won awards, but Ward countered winning awards doesn't mean a book is appropriate for children.
He also argued that it wouldn't be fair to judge a book by a specific passage any more than it would be fair to judge the Sistine Chapel based on its famous painting of a naked men reaching out to touch another man.
Audience members were allowed to ask questions as speakers recognized them. The students asked more questions of Taylor than DeNoble.
In response to one question, Taylor claimed she wouldn't oppose the inclusion of the books in a public library.
The problem with the school library is that the school has authority over her children during the school day, she said. If her children have access to school library books she wouldn't want them to read, that is a problem.
With thousands of books in the school library system, it's hard to know what's in all the books, she added.
DeNoble also spoke during a town hall meeting the school district hosted on the issue last month.
In Wednesday's debate, DeNoble argued against some analogies comparing reading about sex to other things parents don't let their children do before they reach a certain age.
For instance, he wouldn't let one of his children drive before they were old enough, but that doesn't mean they couldn't read about driving, he said.
As a token of appreciation for Taylor's attendance, the debate team presented her with two $15 gift certificates for the Barnes and Noble Bookstore.
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