Author Archives

Loretta M. Gaffney, MLIS, MA, Ph.D., is a librarian and teacher at Harvard Westlake School in Los Angeles. Illinois-born and Iowa-raised, she is slowly becoming an Angeleno by learning to shiver in 50-degree weather. Loretta is the author of Young Adult Literature, Libraries, and Conservative Activism, published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2017. A frequent conference speaker and guest lecturer, Loretta taught YA Literature, Reading Research, Intellectual Freedom, and Youth Services Librarianship at both UCLA and the University of Illinois. She has twin 13-year-old daughters and two extremely active kittens.

• School Libraries and the Truth in a Era of “Fake News”

  By Loretta Gaffney on 06/13/2018 • ( 1 )

  The truth is everywhere and nowhere these days. We are reminded in an increasingly partisan political climate that there are many “truths” (in quotes) floating around the universe of information, and that every story has multiple sides. Postmodern theory reminds… Read More ›

• Librarians, Youth Reading and Intellectual Freedom: Historical and Contemporary Views

  By Loretta Gaffney on 05/11/2018 • ( 2 )

  Concern about children’s and teens’ reading has been with us for hundreds of years. Mobilizing concerns about youth reading in order to spur activists and citizens to action has a long and complex history in the United States. Much lip… Read More ›

• Intellectual Freedom and Youth: Practical and Philosophical Considerations

  By Loretta Gaffney on 04/12/2018 • ( 0 )

  When it comes to intellectual freedom, most people would agree that adults should have the right to read what pleases them. Many would also agree that teenagers need some freedom to explore their own reading tastes and choices. But what… Read More ›

• Teenagers and Community Engagement: The Developmental Picture

  By Loretta Gaffney on 03/13/2018 • ( 0 )

  In the wake of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, students on our campus at Harvard Westlake and at schools across the nation have come together in solidarity. Challenging the stereotype of the self-absorbed teenager, these students are engaging with… Read More ›

• Contemporary Book Challenges: What You Need to Know Today

  By Loretta Gaffney on 02/14/2018 • ( 1 )

  Though panics over the Internet and social media have also affected libraries, book challenges remain a perennial issue for librarians.The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom provides an amazing selection of resources librarians can use in the event of… Read More ›

• School Librarians’ Knowledge: What We Bring to the Curricular Table

  By Loretta Gaffney on 01/11/2018 • ( 0 )

  Twenty-first century school librarians are both heirs and path-breakers. As heirs, they draw from a rich tradition of school library philosophy and pedagogy, including building diverse collections, fostering one-on-one relationships with individual students as readers and researchers, and empowering students… Read More ›

• “The Country We Love”: Immigration, Literature, and Libraries

  By Loretta Gaffney on 12/14/2017 • ( 1 )

  A pivotal scene in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton features Alexander Hamilton and Marquis de Lafayette celebrating their bond as fellow immigrants to America: “Immigrants. We get the job done!” The musical centers on Hamilton’s struggles as an immigrant outsider who… Read More ›

• National Novel Writing Month @ Your Library!

  By Loretta Gaffney on 11/08/2017 • ( 0 )

  Every November, thousands of writers take leave of their sanity and attempt to write a 50,000-word novel in one month. That’s approximately 1,667 words per day. Even if you don’t have a day job, that’s an ambitious quota. However, National… Read More ›

• Be an Ally: LGBTQ Advocacy and the School Library

  By Loretta Gaffney on 10/13/2017 • ( 0 )

  

  I recently attended an Ally Training for faculty serving LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning) students. The facilitator looked around the (nearly) full room of teachers and librarians and said, simply, “my gay fifteen-year-old self thanks you.” As a… Read More ›

• “Hate Has No Home Here”: The Post-Charlottesville School Library

  By Loretta Gaffney on 09/13/2017 • ( 4 )

  

  For returning teachers and librarians, September is typically a month of renewed energy and fresh starts. Yet the late summer demonstration in Charlottesville and its aftermath left many of us facing the 2017-2018 school year fearful, overwhelmed, and exhausted. Doing nothing,… Read More ›