The New York Public Library will list six controversial Dr. Keeping Seuss books on the shelves despite this week’s decision to cease publication due to racist imagery.
The library, which serves Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island, said it will not censor books and will keep the controversial titles in circulation until they are no longer suitable for loan, a spokeswoman said.
“As with all public libraries, the New York Public Library does not censor or delete books,” said Angela Montefinise, library spokeswoman.
“In this case, the six titles in question are being pulled from print by Dr. Seuss Enterprises, so the few copies we have of these titles will continue to circulate until they are no longer in an acceptable condition,” said Montefinise.
“In the meantime, librarians, who place great importance on serving their community and ensuring an accurate and diverse display in our collections – especially children’s books – will certainly take this information strongly into account when planning story times, screenings and recommendations, ” she said.
Montefinise said the books are also part of the library’s historical research collection.
A spokesperson for the Brooklyn Public Library said on Wednesday that the books will also remain in circulation. Queens Public Library officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
The half dozen books by Dr. Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel, made headlines this week when the company publishing the titles for Penguin Random House said it would no longer publish them.
The six books – ‘If I Ran the Zoo’, ‘And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street’, ‘McElligot’s Pool’, ‘On Beyond Zebra!’, ‘Scrambled Eggs Super!’ And ‘The Cat’s Quizzer’ – have come under fire in recent years for its stereotypical portrayal of different ethnic and racial groups.
But major libraries, including the Denver Public Library, said this week that they would keep those titles in their bookshelves, too.