ReadingDanger
@ReadingDanger
Followers
1,682
Following
2,308
Media
483
Statuses
5,294
Library worker. Canon disrupter. Guitar plucker. He/him. All views are personal. @readingdanger .bsky.social
Joined November 2017
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
田中さん
• 618141 Tweets
田中敦子さん
• 574946 Tweets
声優さん
• 265264 Tweets
攻殻機動隊
• 196841 Tweets
Zize
• 164562 Tweets
Arhan
• 164165 Tweets
#RenjunThe8rightestStar
• 102392 Tweets
OUR BRILLIANT RENJUN
• 97570 Tweets
草薙素子
• 94816 Tweets
ショック
• 87643 Tweets
Rep TV
• 52547 Tweets
Sinner
• 52157 Tweets
Kentucky
• 51958 Tweets
FELIZ CUMPLE XCRY
• 50036 Tweets
Beshear
• 46066 Tweets
#कल_भारत_बंद_नहीं_होगा
• 34997 Tweets
Azizah
• 27534 Tweets
#يواكيم_اندرسن_مطلب_الاتحاديين
• 26354 Tweets
Join Trump
• 21441 Tweets
Bahia
• 17602 Tweets
バニーの日
• 17493 Tweets
スーパームーン
• 17099 Tweets
MV Out Now
• 15950 Tweets
Hayley
• 11191 Tweets
#ข้ามฟ้าเคียงเธอQ2
• 10863 Tweets
Marcos Braz
• 10858 Tweets
Andrea Legarreta
• 10112 Tweets
I've had half a dozen unhoused people come into the library this week saying, timidly, that they heard they didn't need an ID to get a card. Then light up when I tell them it's true and make them a card.
Word's on the street.
105
867
13K
Our state children's choice book award program has a secret rule that LGBTQ+ rep is a disqualification.
A book was selected to be on the list of nominees that would be bulk-purchased by schools and libraries statewide, read in classes, and voted on by kids. And it was removed. /
13
457
1K
@emrazz
Bonus pic from the book display, explaining to adults that they need to make it okay for their boys to read books about girls if they don't want their boys to assault women later in life. Among other benefits.
7
89
662
“Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” is based on the extremely popular Mother Goose rhyme, “The Ten Little [N-word]s,” plus another song about Black children suffering: “Shortnin’ Bread.” The word “monkey” was swapped in to hide the racism. A🧵by a children’s librarian.
22
217
648
Each local Friends of the Library group implies an Enemies of the Library group.
36
83
577
I'll make sure everyone involved in the process knows the situation if leadership still keeps silent.
And I am going to see what we can do to change the leadership.
1 in 6 kids today will identify as queer by adulthood. They. Exist.
They. Matter.
This is unacceptable. /
4
44
520
I'm reading a book where the adult protag is remembering things from when she was an infant and toddler.
I've got nothing until a tiny bit around age 6. Do y'all go around remembering being in diapers?
844
20
506
Not only is this rule secret to the public, it has been secret to the dozens of current and retired professionals who create these lists. We selected this book partly BECAUSE it's past time we had some queer rep available for children to vote on. /
2
37
488
Satan is allowed to browse the children's collection, but I won't let him sit in the children's section unless he is accompanied by a child. That's our policy.
“Our libraries are not a place for Satan to sit,” Landry said, according to an email from Perkins about the event. “Those libraries belong to you.”
No, sir, they belong to everyone. Look up THE ESTABLISHMENT CLAUSE. YOU ARE AN ATTORNEY.
2
26
92
3
83
500
Let's just say the state isn't Alaska, but it rhymes with that. The book's author has won a Newbery.
And the funny part is that the censor in charge missed how much queer rep is in another book that *is* on the list, so the conservatives are going to do their thing anyway.
5
41
464
@emrazz
I mostly work on it from the early prevention side (see below), but when people say misogynist things around me, I'll say "Yeah, I don't go by that view" or similar (to men OR women). No one asks for elaboration but they do deflate and move on. I do it for the people overhearing.
4
16
435
It's not "pushing politics" to promote diverse books that are representative of contemporary kidlit publishing and awards.
It's pushing politics NOT to.
3
81
437
Public libraries: We HAVE TO include this hate speech, but we don't endorse it.
Me: Can you *call* it hate speech publicly to anti-endorse it?
Public libraries: Gosh no. We'll just say we're here for everyone. Wouldn't want to make hate group members feel unwelcome here.
5
60
430
My Libby ebook returns in two hours. Better set my Kindle to airplane mode so I can keep reading AND the next in line can check it out.
13
21
424
The reason given was that all titles must be acceptable to private religious schools. It would put anti-LGBTQ teachers in the ~difficult position~ of having to censor the list for their students. /
3
49
390
Today a kid wandered over while I was weeding youth nonfiction and had lots of good questions about the process. I started consulting with her on "borderline" titles. Or letting her check condition on duplicates and decide which we kept. Finished a section and, "Can we do more?"
9
9
402
This decision was then quietly overruled by the governing committee, or maybe by the leader of that committee alone. I made sure the other officers, at least, knew this was happening before the list was made public. Now that it has, I feel ethical about revealing this much. /
1
26
348
The results are supposed to be kept confidential until the lists are finalized, in part to ensure enough copies are available for the purchase-fest.
Within hours, someone leaked to conservatives on Facebook. /
1
30
343
Re: getting IDs.
1. It took me, an over-preparer with time, vehicle, and money *three attempts* to get an ID when I moved here last year.
2. People's possessions are very frequently stolen here, or taken by law enforcement (also stolen). That can include IDs and supporting docs.
3
19
352
Library folks, if you aren't already doing it, please check your shelves for queer books with the spine turned inward and maybe placed on the bottom shelf.
18
92
348
If anyone grateful to libraries wants to show it, we could really use help with the national wave of book banning that's escalated to laws against us doing our job and even bomb threats. Here's how:
1
64
290
I used to think the main value of a MLIS degree was to make sure people got the ethics bits figured out.
Let's just say I'm real disillusioned about any sort of correlation there.
The only thing MLIS requirements do is constrict jobs to candidates able to pay for a MLIS.
9
33
271
"I have a weird request. My granddaughter said she's reading a book series about cats. Would you happen to know wha..."
Yes, come this way.
17
13
260
Today there was a minor behavioral issue with a patron that resolved and then I asked him how his morning has been. He paused and said, "Not great." I waited and he started telling me about how he's trying to get things done but he's hearing a lot of voices. /
1
8
239
@1mikaelams
This is normal. Copies of books aren't precious. Having a well-tended collection is.
3
3
230
I have suggested to management that we may consider paying library staff to read books as part of a readers advisory initiative.
Think of how much unpaid labor we've done over the years of this form to the benefit of library services.
2
24
233
A seven year old patron approached me at my children's librarian desk: "Since you're barely doing anything, can you help me with the computer?"
6
5
232
Book banners will read explicit sex scenes out loud with minors present and use that feeling of inappropriateness to claim it's wrong for minors to choose to read explicit sex scenes to themselves in private.
An example of book banners not understanding consent.
5
31
214
He said thanks, started walking off, then turned back and said, "I really appreciate that, man."
(For the record, I don't find the whole "men don't talk to each other about emotions or get compliments" thing to be true-to-life. You notice, you get noticed.)
4
1
201
So, to conclude, it may seem cute for monkeys to jump on the bed or tease alligators, but these rhymes are about harm coming to Black children. They stem from extremely popular racist nursery rhymes, plus Black children as “gator bait.”
Time for “Five Little Monkeys” to retire.
2
15
168
They came for marginalized identities and Scholastic said, "Sad but fair. We'll pre-censor for you."
1
36
166
On bathroom duty this week, knocking doors after 10 min. A guy waiting in line said, "Sad that you have to do that."
Me: "Yep, but others need in too."
Him: "And you're checking for overdoses."
Me: "That too."
Him: "I wish someone like you had knocked for my brother. Thank you."
5
6
163
Masks are the first time most men have been subject to a dress code.
3
17
160
Shout out to the local teacher who tried to bully me into giving her eclipse glasses for her classroom and demanded to see my supervisor...who was me. 🕶️
7
3
165
@Alycia614
@kreugan
Your book is "The Moonpath and Other Stories" by Robert Swindells. One of the stories is The Fell-Dog.
1
1
158
Our library reduced public access down to curbside-only a while back, but most staff are still in the building.
First COVID case among staff in my building confirmed this morning.
33
55
157
I'm not sure how it turned out, but that parent wasn't the reason for the kid's reluctance to read girls' stories.
We swim in a culture that says girls' stories aren't worthwhile for boys. I may be biased as a librarian, but I think this is a root of any "masculinity crisis."
2
3
155
Today I got to pet *three* dogs in the library there for the Read To A Dog program, then got *two* high-fives from a little girl when I thanked her for helping clean up the toys.
3
6
149
We don't want praise for working in unsafe conditions during the pandemic from people making us work in unsafe conditions during the pandemic.
0
41
145
"Dungeons and Dragons has nothing to do with literacy" has big "audiobooks aren't reading" energy.
4
23
144
Among other things, this is an anti-homeless action.
League City library will check for cards 'like a Costco' and charge non-residents a $50 fee
21
10
20
3
20
133
They sound like his own voice sometimes and they make it hard to focus. I said that sounds frustrating. That I've had a bit of that in the past. That the intrusive thoughts take a lot of energy to deal with. And that I'm glad he's here." /
4
0
130
Currently doing a children's nonfiction weed that's removing 50% of everything on the shelves. Geez, how harsh is my criterion?!
Punchline 1: It's time for the 16+ year old books to go.
Punchline 2: This library building has been open 16 MONTHS.
18
2
130
Can I just hand earplugs to people who complain that the public library isn't silent?
13
5
124
What I'll say about kids under 10 being in the library unaccompanied by an older kid or adult is that I have never enforced the rule *on them*.
I've told them they're welcome to stay and they're doing great, then try to get in touch with their adults for a talk.
8
3
124
A countdown of death? I can’t believe no mystery writers did a copy-cat killer plot based on this. Oh wait. It’s one of Agatha Christie’s most popular novels! Originally published as “Ten Little [N-word]s” it quickly became “Ten Little Indians” then “And Then There Were None.”
2
18
119
Yay for library staff personally buying cold weather clothing repeatedly to give out to patrons.
Yay for library staff (me, tonight) driving a patron to emergency shelter after closing time.
Boo for the system where this is normal.
0
11
121
Someone asked me which bathroom they should go in because they "didn't want to get in trouble." I said there are two restrooms over there and it's your call.
I'm sorry that anyone feels the need to make sure a library supervisor isn't going to yell at them.
1
2
122
Don't act too shocked, library workers. This is right there in the ALA's Library Bill of Rights that most of our library boards adopt:
"Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues."
4
40
114
Ever think about how much time is wasted in library school on HTML and SQL when they could be teaching Excel instead?
9
9
112
I'm being told I *can't* opt-out of all the branch staff having my personal cell number. But I'm staying firm and the question is going up to admin and maybe legal.
Is it normal for workplaces to give all employees all other employees' personal phone numbers?
- Guy who had to block every other employee's number
35
3
91
22
3
115
When we found the first Ga1l Gibbons book she said:
"This book looks like a grandmother picked it out for her grandkids...who ran away because it was too boring." 💀😄
I told her one had 4 checkouts this year. She said "Five checkouts now" and slid it over for me for checkout.
3
1
111
It has been 0 days since I've been assaulted by a patron. Probably just bruised; may check for fracture tomorrow. Glad I reacted fast enough to minimize.
But the assault I'm really worried about is the white supremacist, anti-queer attack on books and the people they represent.
18
0
110
Imagine being so out of touch that your library display uses puzzle pieces to represent Autistic people.
7
7
109
In my public worker experience, this generally means the guy is a known harasser.
6
0
105
When kids are being noisy in the children's section of the library, remember to go over and do your job...of telling their adults that you're glad the kids are here making noise.
Otherwise, people tend to feel bad the whole time and interpret every glance as judgment.
1
15
100
@QuintusCurtius
As a downtown public library supervisor, I can assure you there's nothing brave about wanting to push marginalized people out of your line of sight, instead of working with the public and dealing with critical issues when needed, and not just as feared.
0
4
97
There's a big difference between "don't make my kid learn about that" and "don't let my kid learn about that."
Teachers and librarians have been accommodating the first one for decades, but the second ALWAYS turns into "don't let any kids learn about that."
0
28
100
@katie_barnes3
It shouldn't have to be news when a woman supports women playing women's sports.
6
0
96
Ancient history? Click this 9 Nov 1996 Leader-Telegram article (Eau Claire, WI). The winner of a Mother Goose Halloween contest was a woman in blackface acting out “The Ten Little [N-word]s” while someone recited it. “Imagine, someone being upset by a Mother Goose nursery rhyme.”
3
14
97
A tip: make someone in power over you say "no" in writing. They don't want to. If you have cowardly higher-ups, please realize that they DESPERATELY want you to be the one responsible for self-censorship. They may hint and complain, but they don't want to be on record.
1
27
98
Is it normal for workplaces to give all employees all other employees' personal phone numbers?
- Guy who had to block every other employee's number
35
3
91
The
#HugoAwards
are an embarassment. This Old White Man Doesn't Care About Other People show was PRE-RECORDED and APPROVED?!
This is part of what institutional sexism and racism looks like. It's award show man spreading.
0
21
88
As someone who was a young earth creationist until my early 20s, let me tell you that live debate only confirms bias.
You have to want to know what IS true, and then you have to follow up on claims. Lies are entertaining, which is why liars love spectacle.
0
15
89
I don't care what librarians wear so long as they aren't cooperating with the book banners by saying things like "our community doesn't need these books like those communities do."
3
8
88
With regard to Drunkest Librarian's outing as a harasser under multiple accounts, if anyone who follows me would feel more secure knowing my identity, you're welcome to PM me and I'll tell you.
I stay semi-anonymous because I don't want my employer to feel I'm speaking for them.
7
0
85
Some folks are rushing to say ITTY-BITTY KITTY CORN is NOT about "gender fluidity" and therefore this is ridiculous. That's the wrong defense.
What's ridiculous is banning kid books that have something inclusive to say about gender identity. Which IS a valid reading here!
Meet the book that triggered the
@katyisd
board of trustees to withhold thousands of taxpayer funded library books from 94,000 students, weeks before the start of school. 😱
82
459
976
1
17
86
I've put in my notice at work. Moving to New Mexico in a few weeks because my spouse has a new job there. Never been there before and no idea what I'll be doing yet. Adventure!
13
0
87
It's a little embarrassing that American football is addressing this issue *before* most early childhood educators see it. That University of Florida “gator bait” cheer goes back to the 1930s, yet some people are willing to push against tradition and call for fans to do better.
1
5
88
Additional credit to Azizi Powell for being the 1st one to tip me off about the alligator issue.
I would suggest George Woods' song "Five Whole Apple Pies" as a fun replacement for 5LMs. Been teaching it to other storytellers here.
10
8
87
I don't want to see racist, sexist, antisemitic, anti-Native authors rehabilitated to keep selling copies. I want adults to stop telling kids that these are the best books we have.
This includes FAR too many librarians.
1
11
85
I've already intervened with two MORE men shouting violent threats at each other in the library. One of which was wielding a chair. (Security guard was on lunch.)
What a day!
Honestly, can we work on male pride as a society?
It's a patron threatening to kill people while holding a knife kind of day. :(
20
0
62
7
5
81
Today I suggested that--even if we open earlier--we don't have any children's programming until the public schools are holding classes without social distancing.
...at least someone *said* it to management, right?
4
3
79
Our house's value has gone from $77k to $212k in the five years since we've owned it. Seems fake. And how is anyone supposed to buy a house if they don't have one to trade in now?
8
0
77
@wynnep
That works for, like, 3 titles. Usually by white writers. The rest are simply suppressed.
1
1
77
I've been told *not* to say library cards don't require an ID (even though it's true) because then more people without IDs will come sign up.
As if that's a bad thing.
3
2
80
Monkey/human depictions have been code for Black people for a long time. I learned about this consciously from Edith Campbell (subconsciously earlier). We should be looking at avoiding monkey-people or people-monkeys in storytime materials in general.
2
8
77
This is me upset about a thing that happens repeatedly in library land.
Good on people like
@violetbfox
for speaking up.
1
3
75
Anyway, a moral to this story is to remember readers at all levels. First readers and early chapter books are too often forgotten when it comes to ide tidying and promoting great stuff.
2
0
75
How does “Ten Little Indians” fit? Both of these were popular minstrel show performances in the 1860s. Same count-down structure. The chorus is, *sigh*, still used in storytimes: “One little, two little, three little Indians…”
1
5
76
What is this rhyme about anyway? It’s a count-down from ten to none where something bad happens to each Black child per verse: choked, chopped, eaten, stung, overslept(?) etc. Different editions interpreted these in creative ways. Here’s maybe the first.
1
4
75
"I'm an ally in my heart!"
Ally is as ally does. I see who you're allying with.
"I might get in trouble."
Will you, really? Do you have a note from HR that you've had your final written warning and you're fired next time? For...following professional ethics?
1
14
75
If you work at a library, do you have bedbug training/procedures?
40
20
73
A diabolical thing about getting Florida school librarians to censor classroom books instead of the state publishing a banned books list is that any random title banned by one librarian *but not another* will be evidence the second librarian is doing a crime by not banning it.
1
31
72
Libraries shouldn't purchase COVID-19/mask denialist books, even if specifically requested.
It would irresponsible for us to endorse that, and it IS endorsement to carry books with extreme medical misinformation.
Always has been.
2
13
72
CW: Racist images and language below, but also above, and in children’s storytimes.
What do I *mean* there was a Mother Goose rhyme called “The Ten Little [N-word]s”?!
Do me a favor. Go to and type in: mother goose [n-word] for search terms.
1
7
73
My library has approximately 40 security cameras, but none of them take a good enough face photo for staff to recognize which person threatened to kill someone this week.
4
5
72
@Collider
Great news! I'm not saying some whiny men only hated season 4 because they're misogynist. Some of them are racist too.
8
3
72
@lbst201
@charlotteirene8
Those would be the people who lucked into starting that way and lack the empathy to understand how not everyone does.
Being progressive is a process of re-examination and growth. Warren is better at that than these "lifelong Democrats" who look down on personal progression.
1
2
69
There were ALSO dozens of picture book versions of this rhyme.
1
6
71
It gets worse. The “Swinging in a Tree” or “Sitting in a Tree” version includes “teasing Mr. Alligator. ‘Can’t catch me!’” The alligator then “snaps” them out of the tree and we teach kids to do a gator snap motion.
Baiting alligators with Black children was a racist trope too!
1
8
71
I complimented a patron today for "being innovative" because he brought in a crockpot to cook a roast at the library.
5
1
71
Admin has ruled that library staff must let all other branch staff know their current personal phone numbers. *sigh*
But they will remind staff not to abuse this like they have been.
I'm being told I *can't* opt-out of all the branch staff having my personal cell number. But I'm staying firm and the question is going up to admin and maybe legal.
22
3
115
28
3
70
This is horrible in a lot of ways, but a particular thing that especially bothers me is that they expect library workers to interpret "gender identity," "sexual conduct," and "sexual conduct" -- which is present in nearly EVERY children's book -- in a more specific, bigoted way.
Holllyyyyyyy hell.
This is a PUBLIC LIBRARY.
Autauga-Prattville Library Board banned any books with sexual or LGBTQ content for children 17 and younger, prompting one board member to resign.
16
163
329
2
12
71
If you were going shopping for children’s books for Christmas presents in the 1880s, you’d see ads where this story is right alongside “Little Bo-Peep” and “The Parables of Jesus.”
1
8
70
@VALlovesdumbtv
Yep. Libraries will have different rules. I always encourage people to ask. There are often different tiers for cards. Here, for example, no ID means you can still use a card for computers, apps, room reservations, and 2 physical item checkouts.
Full verify means more checkouts.
1
1
67
Assuming you're a straight man, think about how you compliment the appearance of men. If you don't, then guess what: you're probably treating women differently for sexual reasons. If you do, are they the same kinds of compliments in topic, tone, and expected response?
[3/5]
1
16
67