Letters to LLLI:
Tapes and Topics in Group Libraries
Diane Beckman,
Chairman
LLLI Book Evaluation Committee
From: LEAVEN, Vol. 35 No. 4, August-September 1999, pp. 82-83
Dear LLLI,
The December 1997/January
1998 LEAVEN article "Using Conference Tapes in the Group Library,"
page 131, is about a Leader from Missouri and her experience including
LLLI Conference audio tape cassettes (labeled with a disclaimer note)
in the Group Library.
I did not find this option
mentioned in the LEADER'S HANDBOOK. I've never seen a published list
of which tapes are appropriate for placing in a Group Library.
Author Debbi Heffem included
her own personal, well thought-out guidelines in the article and it
made me wonder if there were other established written guidelines or
procedures that a Leader follows. Is this practice something that is
determined by individual Group Leaders, or is it a decision made by
an Area, Division, Affiliate or LLLI?
For many years I've been
a regular listener of LLLI Conference tapes and I have found them to
be a valuable resource. For this reason I'm especially interested in
learning all I can about their use in Group Libraries. Thank you for
your help.
Sylvia Mitchell
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Dear Sylvia,
We are glad you asked this
question because the article on using LLLI Conference tapes in Group
Libraries may have been confusing to other Leaders as well.
As you pointed out, there
are no written guidelines on this and no official list of "approved"
tapes. When the Board passed new guidelines for the LLLI Book Evaluation
Committee in evaluating books for Group Libraries, they did not include
a specific process for reviewing audio tapes.
It is up to individual Leaders
to determine the suitability of LLLI Conference tapes for their Group
Library. Perhaps because there are no LLLI guidelines, some Leaders
have assumed that LLLI Conference tapes could not be included in Group
Libraries. There are no such LLLI restrictions.
As Debbi Heffern pointed
out in the original article, sharing these tapes with mothers in the
Group can help bring them information as well as some of the excitement
of an LLLI Conference. If Group fundraising helped send the Leader to
the conference, the availability of tapes can be important feedback
as well as a way to say "thank you" for the Group's efforts.
Debbi's article also gave
good reminders about selecting tapes as well as marking each tape with
the disclaimer from the LLLI Conference program that says, "LLL
is not necessarily in agreement with or responsible for the statements
made by the speakers at this conference." This can help clarify
matters if a mother hears something on a conference tape that differs
from what a Leader has told her.
When purchasing conference
tapes, a Leader will want to be selective, choosing topics and speakers
that will suit the needs of the mothers in her Group. If the Leader
did not attend a conference session, she will want to listen to the
tape first before circulating it to mothers in the Group Library.
Although no one can be absolutely
sure what an individual speaker will say at a conference session, Leaders
can be assured that much thought and evaluation are used in selecting
LLLI Conference speakers. Experienced Leaders are often used as moderators
they can integrate comments that will clarify so LLLI recommendations
when needed. A Leader who is concerned about information included in
a conference tape could decide to use that tape for Leaders only and
not include it in the Group Library.
Of course, an individual
Area, Division or Affiliate may have specific guidelines about the use
of LLLI Conference tapes in Group Libraries, but LLLI does not restrict
their use. If an LLL entity has a different policy from LLLI regarding
tapes, it should be stated clearly that this is a local policy. Thank
you again for writing.
Judy Torgus
LLLI Publications Director
Dear LLLI,
I am writing in response
to the LEAVEN (Oct/Nov 1998, page 105) book review of The Homeschooling
Handbook. My concern is not the merits or dangers of homeschooling versus
the alternatives, but rather the inclusion of such a book in Group libraries.
Simply put, I am concerned about a new mother at a Series Meeting, in
the early weeks of breastfeeding, who sees a book about homeschooling
and consequently feels that she doesn't belong.
Helen Roth
Cape May, New Jersey, USA
Dear editors of LEAVEN,
What a waste of precious
magazine space in an international periodical on breastfeeding counseling!
First, homeschooling seems to me to be a real USA topic, useless to
large parts of the rest of the world. Second, and maybe more important,
it is a mixing of causes to spend so much attention on a non-LLL item.
Homeschooling has nothing to do with breastfeeding or mothering through
breastfeeding.
Gonneke van Velhuizen
Moresnet-Chapelle, Belgium
Dear Helen and Gonneke,
Thank you for your letters
which were forwarded to me, the LLLI Book Evaluation Committee (BEC)
Chairman.
Clearly, the topic of homeschooling
has struck a nerve! I appreciate your concerns about the appropriateness
of a book on homeschooling being included in the LLLI Bibliography
and a review featured in LEAVEN. There is concern that this subject
is mixing causes. Some think the topic is primarily of interest to USA
Leaders. I would like to address these concerns, as well as clarify
the policies and procedures governing the LLLI BEC.
Breastfeeding is the primary
focus of La Leche League. However, our purpose as stated in the LLLI
Bylaws, adds several related areas: "to promote a better understanding
of the values of breastfeeding, parenting, childbirth and related subjects."
The BEC is responsible for reviewing books on all these topics. The
results of our positive evaluations of books, according to established
criteria recently established by the LLLI Board of Directors, is published
annually in the LLLI Bibliography (No. 460). A discussion of
the guideline criteria can be found in the LEADER'S HANDBOOK, 1998 edition,
pages 173-5, and in the LLLI Policies and Standing Rules (PSR),
Appendix 36.
The LLLI Bibliography
is a comprehensive listing of books, audio and video tapes that have
been found to be useful to parents, Leaders and health professionals.
No book can be included in a Group Library or the LLLI Catalogue
unless it is approved for inclusion in the LLLI Bibliography.
You may notice that the same
topics that define our purpose-breastfeeding, pregnancy and childbirth,
parenting and nutrition-are the basis for the major sections of the
Bibliography. In addition, there are sections covering children's books,
special situations, women's issues and professional and technical books.
When the LLLI Board of Directors
passed Book Evaluation Criteria in October 1997, guidelines were established
as to the appropriate subject matter for the BEC to consider. These
guidelines are even broader than those delineated in the Bylaws:
Books dealing directly
with breastfeeding and/or relationships impacting breastfeeding
are generally of greatest potential interest to LLL members and will
be given priority for review and possible inclusion in the LLLI Bibliography.
Professional books substantially
dealing with breastfeeding are usually of interest primarily for
LLLI Catalogue sales and for Leader reference. Leaders may share these
with Group members as appropriate.
Books that include information
beyond the LLLI mission, purpose and philosophy (e.g., preschool
options, vaccination, teaching children how to handle money, etc.) may
be acceptable if: the author maintains an objective stance in describing
a variety of perspectives, and does not promote an idea that is inconsistent
with the LLLI mission, purpose, and philosophy.
Books focusing on topics
that may go beyond the concerns of the mother currently breastfeeding
(e.g., school age/teenage/adult children, education, caring for elderly
parents, marriage enrichment, grieving) may be included in the LLLI
Bibliography when the topic is of potential interest to LLL members
and the author's approach is congruent with LLLI philosophy.
Appendix 36.1 November
3, 1997
Thus, the BEC is responsible
for evaluating books on many topics in addition to breastfeeding. The
BEC is also charged with writing summaries of each book and communicating
the information about new books to LLLI Administrators, Leaders and
members. LEAVEN and NEW BEGINNINGS are the appropriate vehicles for
communicating this information. We communicate through the publications
page at the back of each magazine, as well as through book reviews and
articles specifically about the BEC.
We do not expect each book,
audio or video to be appropriate for all parents, Leaders and health
professionals who consult our resources. Nor would we expect all of
these books to be priority purchases for Group Libraries. Each Leader
or Group Librarian should consult the summaries published about each
approved item before purchasing it for the Group, deciding whether it
is suitable for the Group in question. The purpose of publishing longer
reviews in LEAVEN and NEW BEGINNINGS is to help Leaders and members
make these choices. Over the years, we have published reviews on books
in the major categories of the LLLI Bibliography. While it would
not be appropriate to review a book about education in every issue of
our magazines, it is fitting from time to time to publish a review on
this subject.
Books about children's education
have a long tradition in the LLLI Bibliography. We look for books
on education that are compatible with the philosophy expressed in our
concept on loving guidance. In the 1980s for example, the LLLI Bibliography
included such titles as PLAYFUL LEARNING, Maria Montessori's The
Secret of Childhood, John Holt's Teach Your Own and Nancy
Wallace's Better than School.
The interest in topics related
to education among LLL Leaders and members through the 1990s is clearly
demonstrated by the demand for Area Conference sessions on different
approaches to schooling and steady sales through the LLLI Catalogue
Of PLAYFUL LEARNING and LLL Leader Agnes Leistico's I Learn Better
by Teaching Myself. There is even an email group of LLL active and
retired Leaders interested in homeschooling. Although the majority of
these Leaders are North American (USA and Canada), there are Leaders
in other parts of the world who participate. The review and article
in LEAVEN were written by an American Leader who was living in Japan
at the time.
This is not to say that LLLI
promotes any single parenting or educational system. We want parents
to have information that will help them choose the option that is best
suited for their family and child. The Book Evaluation Guidelines in
the PSR specify the tone we look for in a book on education as on any
topic: "LLLI's goal is to provide materials that aid readers in
making informed decisions. Books that present a balanced and informative
case for the advantages of a particular attitude or practice are preferred."
It was precisely the balanced
and informative nature of the Homeschooling Handbook that led
me to consider publishing a review of that book in LEAVEN as a companion
piece to the article on how Leaders balance their Leader responsibilities
with the needs of their young or homeschooled children. Homeschooling
would not be an appropriate subject for a Series Meeting; that would
indeed be mixing causes. On the other hand, discussing the same subject
in our Leader's magazine, as it pertains to a Leader's responsibilities,
is not.
Each Group Library contains
books that meet the needs of first-time mothers and those new to LLL.
I hope that a Leader or Group Librarian would direct a mother toward
the books that are of special interest to her. Some Groups choose not
to display their entire library collection at each meeting.
In my Group, I find that
mothers surprise me with their interest in books on particular topics.
For example, I had been unaware that someone had a miscarriage until
she checked out a book on that topic. We recently had a request by the
mothers of toddlers for an enrichment session on homeschooling. I am
happy to have books in the Group Library that are useful to mothers
with such interests. Even if we didn't have a book in our Group Library,
I would be reassured to know that there is a book that other Leaders
have found useful.
We count on Leaders to let
us know when they find books inappropriate or objectionable. In 1997,
the Board of Directors also provided a formal method of appeal for Leaders
to register their disagreement with decisions of the Book Evaluation
Committee. The appeals process is discussed in the LEADER'S HANDBOOK,
pages 221-4, and in detail in PSR, Appendix 37, Book Evaluation: Appeals
and Review. For further discussion or more information, please don't
hesitate to contact me.
Diane Beckman,
Chairman LLLI Book Evaluation Committee
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:31:48 UTC 2007.
