Native American literature for young people: a survey of collection development methods in public libraries

Some of the books in this bibliography give the white man's point of

view, which often is not a very accurate picture of the Indian. Yet, in

order to understand what happened to the Indian, it does seem that

the reader should understand some of what the white man thought,

erroneous though it was. (Stensland, 1973, pp. 17-18) When the second edition of her bibliography appeared, Stensland was impressed by the increasing numbers of non-Indian authors who treated Native American topics with sensitivity and accuracy.

Mary Gloyne Byler (1973), in contrast, compiled a selective bibliography for young readers limited exclusively to American Indian authors. Byler's explanation was that "non-Indians lack the feelings and insights essential to a valid representation of what it means to be an American Indian" (p. 3). She faulted non-Indian works for perpetuating stereotypical characters, for committing acts of cultural vandalism, and for creating cliched historical fantasies.

Marjorie F. Gallard (1975) compiled an annotated list of Native American literature for a work titled, Words Like Freedom: A Multi-Cultural Bibliography sponsored by the California Association of School Libraries. The creation of this chapter was based upon a perspective attained through Gallard's experiences of living and working on Indian Reservations in New York, Arizona, and New Mexico. Materials included were either those written by American Indians or those in which the major protagonists were Native Americans.

Mary Jo Lass-Woodfin (1978) edited a bibliographic guide for librarians, educators, and parents in choosing materials for young people pertaining to American Indians and Eskimos. Arranged alphabetically by author, more than 800 titles were rated as good, adequate, or poor based on reviewers' (both Indian and non-Indians) experiences working with youngsters. She also identified an important issue. If one were to purchase materials "that were written by knowledgeable tribal members, that never used stereotyping, that contained illustrations showing in exact and minute detail the dress, life, and environment of the group depicted, and that were, in equal measure, well written, well illustrated, and accurate in every word, the final collection would be small indeed" (p. 3).

Her response to this predicament was to suggest that the criteria used for purchasing books in less controversial fields be implemented in choosing materials pertaining to Native Americans. Following this strategy, Lass-Woodfin

itemized six points to be considered during the selection process: (1) expect controversy because it is impossible to select items that will be agreeable to all readers; (2) become more knowledgeable about Native Americans, different tribal cultures, history, and lifestyle; (3) read other opinions, bibliographies, and book reviews; (4) use a rating scale created by Native Americans to evaluate children's materials; (5) balance minor deficiencies against redeeming qualities by evaluating the item on the basis of overall literary quality; and (6) select according to the specific purposes of the collection.