A spokesman for the library told the Chicago Tribune Monday that the half-dozen children’s classics scrapped last week due to their alleged racism are already checked out, but won’t be offered up for loan once additional holds for the books are honored.
“It is important to recognize that what society understands to be relevant and/or common knowledge changes over time, and so too does the Library and the needs of the communities it serves,” library spokesman Patrick Malloy told the newspaper in a statement.
Malloy said staffers urge patrons of all ages to “engage critically” with library materials, but those that “become dated or that foster inaccurate, culturally harmful stereotypes” are pulled to make some for more current and “comprehensive” works.
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