First of all, from a librarian’s point of view, just get all these books out in the open. Every kid in the universe has a report to do on MLK, Jr. and the last thing you want them to do is get frustrated when they can’t find the J and YA Biography sections. Remember that when you type Martin Luther King in Google, one of your first options is this little nightmare. Take care when you click here. It’s upsetting. But, kids may see the .org component of the website and think it’s legit. It’s terrifying.
Wake up, America! This is why Googling everything gets you nowhere, or worse, to a fake MLK site that has links to books by David Duke. Uh-uh, librarians. Not cool. It’s hateful, the kid will get a crappy grade, and it means we haven’t done our jobs well enough.
Here’s my contribution to a Martin Luther King, Jr. book display. It has a sparkly background (I can’t help myself), black and white photos, and quotes by the great man. My apologies for glare/blurriness. Dammit, Jim. I’m a librarian, not a photographer.
The Center of the Display
Some selections from our YA and J sections
This quote rips my heart out and stomps all over it
A closer look
Amen
The Overall Effect
So, librarians, and others, I hope you enjoyed your day off today. Patrons may not be the easiest people to get along with, so get get a little MLK, Jr. in your soul. Remember tolerance when you’re back on that reference desk tomorrow.
~Love and Libraries, Ingrid
