Shannon Hausinger, the librarian at New College of Florida, has been placed on administrative leave after the once-progressive institution was accused of trashing books about racism, diversity, LGBTQ and gender-related issues.
A video has gone viral online of a garbage truck being hauled into a dump, appearing to show books that critics consider “woke” in content, including a Hebrew book, a book about the female body, and a novel by H.G. Wells. Space Warand various titles relating to black culture.
New College also disposed of materials from the college’s now-defunct Gender and Diversity Center, which housed a student-curated library of books, including texts on the LGBTQ community, Black culture and gender-related issues.
Last week, New College spokesman Nathan March said: Sarasota Herald TribuneHe argued that the allegation that the university was disposing of books haphazardly was false.
“Libraries must regularly review and update their collections to ensure that their materials meet the current needs of students, faculty and staff,” he told the paper in a statement. “Images of bins filled with library materials seen online are related to standard weeding practices.”
The university claims that since gender studies was eliminated as a field of study at New College, the Gender Diversity Center’s books (which were not subject to normal library disposal) were moved by the university library to a book drop site just a few feet from the trash bins and “subsequently picked up by individuals locally who had planned to donate the books.”
Last week, March also claimed the book could not be sold or donated. Florida Statute 273A bill that seeks to ban public funding for diversity programs at state universities was passed by Republican lawmakers and signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
But the law says such books can be sold or given away to government agencies, nonprofit organizations or individuals “through a public sale.”
In the past, when libraries needed to remove old or outdated books to make space, students were typically notified and allowed to request or purchase the books for their own personal use. Herald Tribune They said they were not notified of the impending punishment until two weeks before they were scheduled to return to campus for the fall semester.
Asked about Dean Hausinger’s status on Monday, March told the newspaper that the dean had been placed on administrative leave “after it was discovered that the library had not followed all of the state’s administrative requirements in carrying out the routine disposal of materials.”
New College president Richard Corcoran criticised media reports about the book’s destruction.
“Unfortunately, many of the reports have been sensationalized and pandered to critics’ rhetoric,” Corcoran said in a statement. “While the sight of thousands of books being tossed in the trash is far from ideal, it is important to understand that disposing of materials is a necessary process for libraries.”
Corcoran’s statement: Social Media Posts From conservative anti-“woke” activist Christopher Rufo, a member of the New College board of directors appointed by DeSantis. As part of several initiatives Transforming schools from institutions with progressive leanings into laboratories for conservative ideology.
“We just eliminated our gender studies program,” Rufo gushed, attaching a photo of the books in a trash can. “Now we’re throwing them in the trash.”
Bacardi Jackson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, called the book’s destruction a “deliberate act of censorship.”
“These actions amount to nothing less than a cultural purge and evoke the darkest times in our history, when regimes sought to control thinking by burning books and erasing knowledge,” Jackson said in a statement. NBC News.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
