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TO: PARMLY BILLINGS LIBRARY BOARD FROM: BILL COCHRAN, LIBRARY DIRECTOR JIM PETERS, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR RE: STATEMENT OF CONCERN REGARDING A COMPANION TO WOLVES MEETING DATE: NOVEMBER 13, 2008 Attached is a copy of a “Statement of Concern About Library Resources” submitted by Diane Croel. STATEMENT REUQEST Ms. Croel checked out the book A Companion to Wolves and read “all of it.” She is concerned about “explicit sex between men and boys” and feels that the book “should not be where young children & preteens can get a hold of it to be read.” BACKGROUND A Companion to Wolves is written by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear who are described as “rising fantasy stars.” The Library has at least 14 other books written individually by these two authors. Reviews of the book describe it as part of the ‘telepathic animal companion subgenre’ in which primitive characters bond telepathically with animals to defend themselves. The book is “grounded in Norse/Germanic mythology”. A review in Publisher’s Weekly calls the book a “meticulously crafted novel about the meaning of honor”, but that it “never blushes as they consider the ultimate sociological, sexual and moral underpinnings” of their theme. Booklist states that “they have taken one of the most escapist of fantasy subgenres, in which humans and animals meld, and turned it into something powerful and surprisingly deeply human.” Other reviews that appeared on Amazon also praised the book, but did mention the sexual nature of the scenes that Ms. Croel points to. The Library acquired the book in November 2007 and it has circulated 12 times since, indicating that it is popular. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Ms. Croel feels that the book should be located where children and preteens cannot check it out. A Companion to Wolves is currently located in the new fiction section on the first floor. The book has been in the collection for a year, the normal time an adult new book is located in the new fiction section. Staff recommends that, per standard procedure, it be taken out of the new fiction ---PAGE BREAK--- display and moved to the adult fiction section on the second floor. The adult fiction section is not an area where children and pre-teens will generally look for books, although the Library cannot guarantee that they will not find and check out the title. Parents may restrict their own children from checking out adult fiction among several categories, using the Library’s Parental Guidance option.