Senate Commerce Contact
Posted by Valerie on March 5, 2009
I just had an interesting conversation with Jared at the Senate Commerce Committee at 202-224-5115. Jared told me that the Commerce Committee had been unaware that pre-1985 children’s books (he knew about that restriction already) would still have commercial importance and ongoing value for children’s use. He asked me some very good questions and seemed interested in the children’s book market.
I told him that many of my books go to parents, grandparents, and teachers who want to share their old favorites with today’s children. I told him about a set of pre-1985 books that I sent to Iran last year so that a teacher could loan those books to his students over summer vacation.
I also talked about the free speech/freedom to obtain information issue and the fact that we have no evidence at all that these books have ever harmed anyone. I told him that if these books were actually dangerous I would have thrown them away long ago.
Jared asked a lot of questions and twice expressed that it was new information “to the Committee” that these books still have any market importance.
I explained what our lawyers have told us, that we have to restructure our whole business so that we are selling only “adult collectibles,” which prevents marketing that would appeal to parents and teachers. I explained that this restriction prevents us from mentioning reading levels and making statements of suitability for children’s use.
[I didn't mention this, but when we get our business restructured properly, no one will be able to click on, say, Children's Picture Books at our web site and see a pre-1985 book offered. A person looking for a pre-1985 children's book would have to click on a category called Collector's Items or Adult Collectibles or Collectible Children's Books. And in my experience, when people see those category names they assume that the books are too expensive for children's regular reading. Buyers shopping to read avoid those categories, and buyers who are really looking for collectibles are not delighted to wade through lots of ordinary books. That kind of labeling would make a bookseller look naive and uninformed in the eyes of a real collector.]
There are a lot of misconceptions out there. One is that everything is in print; I’m amazed how many people think this. Another is that old books aren’t wanted by anyone today; I’m less amazed by this, but this an area where we need to be assertive, take the initiative and do some education.
The only way to keep pre-1985 books readily available on the market–the only way to keep them out of dumpsters–is to change CPSIA and then trust that most parents will make good decisions for their kids.
If that “banned hazardous material” label stands on these books, the day may even come when restrictions enter the home so TALK TO PEOPLE, WRITE, and MAKE CALLS. The only way to get the word out is to do it. The mainstream media isn’t going to do it for us.
DJ (Deb) said,
Hi Val,
I’ve emailed all the members on the committee. I have all their contact info at my current post with links and also to your bookroom blog and your new CPSIA Hurts Kids Forum: http://aaaletawomanlearn.blogspot.com/2009/03/cpsia-is-hurting-kids-and-parents-not.html and also I started a Mister Linky for favorite pre-1985 Children Books Illegal to Sell: http://aaaletawomanlearn.blogspot.com/2009/02/winnie-pooh-didnt-have.html - As for other people seeing a need for older books, it doesn’t seem like there are many who really care, only one person added a link and shared books and that was The Common Room.
I haven’t received any conversational email from any of the representatives. Just form replies. I’ll keep emailing but it doesn’t seem like there are many interested in old books. Handmade crafts and children’s clothes/toys yes but books I’m not sure there’s many of us.
Sebastian (a lady) said,
I don’t think this is an issue that will be heard via email. I think this will take phone calls, crayoned letters from upset kids and boxes with photos of now banned books cluttering up the lobbies of offices.
I also think that the key here is the staffers. They are the folks that actually write the bills and tell the reps what the impact of the laws would be.
It is also a great point to make about books not all being in print, not being in print in durable hardback editions. And we also need to stress that it really isn’t just about books from the turn of the century or even the 1950s. It is about first editions of Newberry Award winners like King of the Wind. It is about the books that the congressmen and even staffers grew up with in their homes and school libraries.
And it is about outlawing the sale of something that has never been identified as a danger!!
Sebastian (a lady) said,
DJ,
I think that it is hard to focus the anger over this because it is being discussed in many specialized forums but not on any hyper sized (reader wise) outlets.
Would a specific date focus attention? Randolph Caldecott’s birthday is 22 March. That is about 3 weeks away. What if we pushed for a phone/mail/box protest ramping up to that date. Not holding back until then, but sending the calls and mail in as a birthday gift to Caldecott.
DeputyHeadmistress said,
Valerie, I know of two librarians who shrugged off the pre-1985 book ban, saying, “all the classics have been reprinted anyway….”
Sebastian (a lady) said,
So the same libraries who are cutting hours, cutting programs, cutting staff and increasing fines, charges and limits on book requests are going to be in a position to just replace the older editions of Heidi and King of the Wind and Carry On Mr. Bowditch and Rabbit Hill and and and?
Where exactly is the budget to replace even just the older edition Caldecott and Newberry winners? And this does nothing to replace the American Heritage Junior Library, We Were There series, Landmark biographies or other books that just aren’t available in any in print form. Not to mention the problem of removing a hardback (well loved and nudged around the edges but still sturdy) and replacing it with a paperback that often isn’t even printed on acid free paper. So you’re not only replacing a perfectly servicable book but you’re replacing it with one that is less durable (and will need the assistance of plastic bookcovers to increase its longevity) so you get a faster replacement rate for copies that are worn out.
But I guess that every bookcase cleared out is more space for a children’s computer terminal.
Valerie said,
I agree. I have received a remarkable number of orders from libraries over the years, and I have noticed that even when the book is in-print in softcover, some want my hardcover copy.
I suspect that the CPSC was probably under the impression that the 1985 cut-off was a nearly perfect fix, along with the vintage marketing to adults exception.
Carol Baicker-McKee said,
Val, thank you so much for your advocacy on behalf of vintage books. I am awed by your determination, your eloquence, and your creative thinking in attacking this issue.
We old book lovers have much more of an uphill fight than the publishers of new books do, in part because of the dismissive attitudes like the librarians Deputy Headmistress cites, in part because of ignorance (the “aren’t all old books still in print?” or “aren’t old books obsolete anyway?” beliefs), but most of all because we have no pre-existing large organization like the publishers or toy makers do to be our natural mouthpiece. Even the handcrafters (and I consider myself one of them too) have existing groups to help them coordinate their efforts.
I will call Jared today as well, since I have a slightly different perspective to add. I’m a children’s book writer and illustrator and I use older books for inspiration, for distilling the enduring themes that will always resonate with a child’s soul, and for visual and literary reference. If the number of vintage books dwindles because of this law, not only will many valuable references be lost for me and other writers and illustrators, but they’ll likely be priced out of my reach. Few writers and illustrators have the success of a J.K. Rowling or a Maurice Sendak; most of us earn very, very little and as we are all self-employed we have to cover our expenses, overhead, insurance, retirement, etc. all on our own, all of which means we have little money left to spend on books. If the libraries no longer carry these books and we can’t afford to buy them, they’ll cease to shape the books of the future and that would be a shame.
I’ll offer to be available to testify to Congress if they need someone to defend older books. Anyone else out there willing to join me? We could certainly organize ourselves into a vintage book coalition.
Several children’s writers/illustrators sites have been blogging about this law or discussing it in forums, but I’ll redouble my efforts with them. The Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (swbwi.org) is giant organization (100,000+ members I think) and can be powerful. Here’s a quote from their website: “The SCBWI speaks as a consolidated global voice for professional writers and illustrators. As a unified body, the SCBWI is a powerful force that effects important changes within the field of children’s literature. In recent years, the SCBWI has successfully lobbied for such issues as new copyright legislation, equitable treatment of authors and artists, and fair contract terms.”
See also the bluerose girls blog (http://bluerosegirls.blogspot.com/2009/02/have-we-gone-too-far-for-safety.html), which reflects the growing interest and concern among people currently working in kids’ books.
In addition we shouldn’t dismiss the concern of librarians too quickly. Most were/are avid readers themselves and most have a huge respect for (and knowledge of) the history of children’s literature. My own librarians are very concerned and are tracking the issue closely. We should also get the word out to the people who teach children’s literature in schools of education and library science.
Finally, I also have my doctorate in clinical psychology and used to work as a child therapist. I often used children’s books with my patients, and it frequently took hunting through lots of vintage ones to find just the right book for a particular child. (The preachy lesson books were rarely the right sort; mainstream fiction was usually most powerful — I’ll blog later today about that.)
Deb, I apologize for not joining in your Mister Linky effort. Unfortunately I, like many old book lovers out there who might like to join in, am too internet ignorant to even know what a Mr. Linky is, much less know how to add one. (I’m embarrassed about how long it took me to figure out how to add the “Say NO to CPSIA” button(?) to my blog, and I’m still not certain I did it right, but you can see it, so that’s pretty good, right?)
Valerie said,
I think there are quite a few libraries that would go for this if they were “paid off” by Congress. Most of the pre-1985 children’s books we own and that we sell are beautiful ex-library copies. (Other libraries are still buying these old books though.)
Carol Baicker-McKee said,
Hmm. I hadn’t thought about the bribery angle. You may well be right, because most states and localities have slashed libraries’ budgets and there is always a demand for new books (and DVDs,computers, high speed internet, etc.). But I still think that most librarians could be persuaded that it would be a disaster for everyone to lose the old books.
Carol Baicker-McKee said,
I just got off the phone with Jared (very pleasant guy), who was clearly sympathetic but also clear that we shouldn’t get our hopes up — there’s lots of pressure not to change this bill for fear of losing the legitimate protections in it.
He said it isn’t particularly helpful for other people to call or write simply to restate the same points of view; they are aware that many people are concerned about the threat to older books. They are however, interested in any relevant clinical studies. I’m going to send him the research studies I’ve located on absorption of lead from printed materials, the benefits of wide exposure to books, the developmental patterns of mouthing behavior, and the studies that suggest that an enriching environment can help counter the harmful effects of lead (especially important because there are no effective medical treatments for low level lead exposure).
If anyone out there has come across any other relevant studies, please make sure they get to the commerce committee.
Thanks.
Valerie said,
What bothers me is that most Americans seem to be convinced that there’s no point in speaking up since Congress is certainly already on the verge of changing this any minute now.
We can easily show that books are beneficial and not harmful, but that will still not help us unless CPSIA is changed. The standard set forth in CPSIA is that an item cannot foreseeably result in the absorption of “any lead…if swallowed.”
Many, many products can be demonstrated harmless, but that “any lead” standard allows no application of common sense.
DJ (Deb) said,
Sebastian, I think Randolph Caldecott’s birthday is 22 March would be a good day to do some thing thought I don’t have any ideas how to do that.
Carol, no apologies. It’s taken me a good long while to learn how to do things in my blog too.
I’m still learning. I know from the comments here (and reading the blogs) everyone is doing what they can in their own way. I just find there’s a general disinterest in older books from the people I’ve talked to (family/friends). And for the most part, the ones I’ve talked to are unaware it’s even a law and that anything is going on with it. I was until a month ago.
AND I was thinking strictly of books and parental responsibility — I’m having a hard time understanding why parents, just every-day parents, but especially homeschool parents, aren’t concerned and speaking up about being able to take of their own children, protect their own children, choose for their own children. This issue, first of all begins with one of my responsibilities and rights being taken away from me. NOT DIRECTLY, but as a parent I’m being told I can’t decide for myself what I think is safe for my daughters. Then, that carries over to homeschooling, I can’t choose the books I want to use for lessons if they’re not available. NOT DIRECTLY, but I’m being told I can’t protect my daughters and some one is telling me how to do it. I’m told to believe that beautiful good books are harmful/hazardous when there’s never been a case of a book making a child sick or causing death. It’s my responsibility and right to protect my daughters. How do I protect my children? One of the ways I protect my daughters is to give them good books! I was trying to get at that in my post about Winnie-the-Pooh/MyLinky and all the things my daughters and I get out of good books.
I think, at least for me, I need to express that 1 I take my responsibility to protect my daughters seriously. 2 I protect them and love them by giving them good books, explain what they get from the books, 3 some of these books are irreplaceable, some first editions (Newbery Caldecott) can’t be replaced, they’re more durable, 4 some of the older art work can’t be duplicated or replaced, they’re pieces of art 5 books have never caused sickness or death, 6 perhaps the age limit could be dropped to 6 or even 3 years.
I been wondering how to show a need for these older books and I was thinking more of my own point of view, our family point of view. But it makes me wonder how many of us used book collectors/library builders there really are. I know/understand it is causing small businesses trouble/closings, and those are just as equally important, that needs to be and I want to stress too, but shouldn’t we be confronting on the details of how this protects or harms the children first, that children need these books, and build on that?
What are some of the key, most important things we need to stress first of all our representatives to show there is a need, a demand for these older books? Who are the most key people we need to be contacting right now?
DJ (Deb) said,
I want to add — from my point of view, me speaking with the reps, I would stress what we get from the books *for the point* of the “need” of older books not so much my parental responsibilities/rights being taken away. Although that is behind, indirectly, and motivates me a lot, I will stick with showing the demand by how I/my daughters need them/get from them. My daughters aren’t being protected by books being taken from them.
Meredith said,
I still can’t believe they didn’t think that maybe somebody in the entire country would find those books important? Children, grandparents, parents, aspiring children’s book writers and illustrators, historians…. Something not being in print surely doesn’t make it worthless.
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