Banned Book Week – Focus on “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck

For Banned Book Week, one of the stories that Ii selected to read from the Banned Book List in the United States was “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck. The main reason why the book was banned because of the swear words from the characters’ dialogue (ALA.org). My reaction to the story was that although it is set during a depressing time in American History, there is a lot that can be learned from this. Steinbeck presented fictional characters in a real-life situation that reflected the times of the Great Depression and how families struggled to make ends meet. In the story, when the family has to move from Oklahoma to California, they face so many struggles that tears away at their family. By the time they arrive to California, some members of the family have either abandoned the rest or have died. It almost seems that there is no promise or guarantee for the Joads by the time they reach California, which in a way, can be related to life now, especially with the economy and recession going on. People back then and even today are struggling to make ends meet and sometimes they will have to resort to moving from one place to another in hopes of finding something better.

I disagree with the reasons for the book being challenged because in most media today, almost everyone swears. Although just thirty years ago, cursing in public and on media were predominantly done in R-rated movies or shown only on cable television, but today, those times have changed, therefore, the book should not be banned. Depending on the reader of the novel, some of the biggest concerns could be if a young student were to read the novel and think that it is okay to say some of the profane languages in the novel. However, a late adolescent/young adult (around the age of 15-18 years old) should know never to say these words aloud or in public to another person. Some readers of the novel may only be concerned of that aspect when they are missing the whole plot and moral of the story itself.

The argument that I would make to a library board for retaining the title on the shelves is the historical and realistic aspect of the story. Even though it may be perceived as a fictional family and a fictional story, the historical aspect of it is real indeed. The author himself experienced the Great Depression firsthand and instead of writing it in a newsworthy way (such as an article), he decided to do so from a personal intimate and creative aspect that would get the attention of people during his era as well as our own. By censoring such a historical novel, instead of learning how to prevent situations like such and how to react to them, history may repeat itself if we decide to hide and neglect learning from past mistakes. Seeing as how the book was challenged during his era since it was so realistic to negative aspects of life, nearly eighty years later, that same mistake almost repeated itself when the stock market went to a record low since 1929 back in 2008.

ALA.org (n.d.). Banned and/or Challenged Books from the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century. Retrieved from: http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/classics/reasons

My Introduction & Assumptions/Assertion to the Library and Information Sciences Program

Hello. My name is Abiola Akinpelu and I am a first-year graduate student at Wayne State University in the Library and Information Sciences program. I currently hold an Associates of Arts degree and a Bachelors of Arts degree in English with a minor in art. I will post my experiences and responses to what I have learned in class in the next upcoming months and my thoughts and opinions about the topic at hand. Some of the assumptions, assertions, and beliefs that I hold about the Library and Information Science professions as I begin my studies are:

1. Learning more about the modern library systems,
2. Working with others on various media platforms,
3. The importance of archiving in any subject matter,
4. Being a librarian does not restrict one solely to the library itself, and
5. The field is growing, despite contradictory beliefs of others in today’s society.

In explaining each of these points, in the first point, I would like to know more about the library systems. It is more than just cataloging by name, title, and decimal systems. Library systems have now been incorporated into much larger infrastructures and has the basis of basic organizational skills across diverse platforms. Libraries no longer just have books and audiobooks for checking out. Now patrons can check out magazines, newspapers, and even video games! This brings me into my next point. With new forms of technology being created daily, this provides innovative ways to communicate with each other. The camera has revolutionized our way of life and allows communication worldwide between both parties. Programs such as Skype and FaceTime allows others to communicate online, and even free in some cases. This allows for much versatility in communication.

Archiving is something important that should not be taken lightly. If not for past historians and archaeologists, we would not know about the history that was left by other civilizations many years ago. Even the technology from the 1990s are much different than the ones we use today, however, these predecessors has definitely shaped the way that we communicate today. Without these predecessors, technology would not be able to evolve to the way that it is now. Before the age of the Internet and cloud storage, tape was used mainly for recording. However, this was transposed onto CDs, which in turn transposed onto computers, DVDs, and file types such as MP3, MPEG, etc. and now can be saved into the cloud.

In addition to being a librarian, one does not have to be limited to the desk. With variations from blending in with the Information Technology field, archiving, or even with specialized libraries, constant efforts are made to ensure that the field of library science is anything but mundane. This leads me to my last point. Some people in society may still believe that the library consists of nothing more than a librarian sitting at a desk all day, cataloging physical books all day. Because of this mentality, people may post heavily-biased articles about how the field is “dying” and is a waste to go to college for. It is actually on the contrary. Technology has been fully embraced into the library system and used in the technological profession. As long as the library adapts to the new technology that emerges every day, the library will remain.

Some of my personal goals that I want to achieve through my studies are:

1. Becoming an archivist,
2. Being a well-rounded librarian, and
3. Informing others about the library system and studies.

In the Library and Information Sciences program, I plan on becoming an archivist, particularly for art museums. I love learning about past history and how the technology that we use today are founded on the same principles of the predecessors that we now call obsolete technology to help create new technology for modern times. In regards of being a well-rounded librarian, I want to expand my knowledge beyond the books and curriculum and hopefully I will be able to contribute something that is worthwhile and beneficial to the field. I also would like to inform others about the library system and how it is not the same as it was in the past fifty years. The library is still a place for exploration for all ages with many resources that helps everyone of all ages.