Banned Books Week 2024

About Pat Scales

Pat Scales is a retired middle school and high school librarian whose work has been featured in countless professional journals and on television. Pat is well-known nationally as an advocate of children’s and young adult literature and intellectual freedom. She has served for many years on the prestigious Newbery, Caldecott, and Wilder Award Committees and has also served as president of the Association of Library Service for Children, a division of the American Library Association. She has been recognized with numerous national awards, including the 1983 AASL/SIRS Intellectual Freedom Award, the 2002 ALA Movers & Shakers award, and the 2016 ALSC Distinguished Service Award.

Pat is an accomplished author whose works include Teaching Banned Books: Twelve Guides for Young Readers, Books Under Fire: A Hit List of Banned and Challenged Children’s Books, and most recently, Encourage Reading from the Start: Essays, Articles, and Interviews from the Field. She is a columnist for School Library Journal and for the Random House website, and is a regular contributor to Book Links magazine.

During her lifetime, Pat has amassed a large collection of specialized children’s and young adult books and has donated a large number of these books to her alma mater, the University of Montevallo. Her generous donations form the core of Carmichael Library’s circulating collection of young people’s books, which is used extensively by Education majors, as well as the Pat Scales Special Collection, which houses a research collection of children’s and young adult literature and related materials.

Pat Scales Special Collections

Room Usage Guidelines

1. The Pat Scales Special Collections Room is reserved for faculty and researchers using materials.  The room is also available for class sessions, in courses that incorporate Special Collections materials into assignments.  Classes must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance with an archives staff member. Such classes are by appointment only and at the discretion of the staff pending classroom availability and staffing coverage.
2. Special Collections materials are non-circulating and must be used in the Special Collections Room.
3. Food, drink, briefcases, backpacks, tote bags, laptop cases, coats, and hats are not permitted in the Special Collections Room.
4. Talking on cell phones or playing music is not permitted in the Special Collections Room.
5. Researchers must complete and sign a registration form and show valid photo identification.
6. Use pencil or laptop for taking notes. Ink is strictly prohibited to avoid damage to materials.  Items must remain on table at all times. No leaning, folding, tracing, or writing on materials.
7. Maintain the existing arrangement of materials in folders.   
8. Digital photos are permitted with permission of archives staff member.
9. Photocopying or scanning is done by staff if condition of materials permits.
10. All items included in the Collection are subject to U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 United States Code).
11. Materials should be cited as follows: Scales Collection, Milner Archives and Special Collections, Carmichael Library, University of Montevallo
12. Publication from Special Collections materials requires permission from the repository. 

Collection Development Policy

Materials added to the Pat Scales Special Collections will be:

1. Children’s or Young Adult (and)
2. First Editions (or)
3. Signed, inscribed (or)
4. Rare (or)
5. Challenged* (or)
6. Caldecott or Newbery winner that the Library does not currently have (or)
7. Books that are more of an artifact (i.e. a pop-up that is a work of art, not a Barnes & Noble or Wal-Mart type purchase) (or) 
8. Donations containing materials dealing with children’s literature such as artwork, posters, dolls, figurines, etc.

*The Library may retain potentially controversial subject matter material for a designated amount of time to see if it is challenged.

The Library will not add duplicates to the Special Collection unless the book is in better condition than the copy currently in the collection (in which case the Library will retain both).  Donations given to the Library become the property of the University; materials not selected for inclusion in the Pat Scales Special Collections may be added to the Circulating collection, or may be sold, donated or discarded at the discretion of the Library.  In accordance with our more general gift policy, the Library is unable to provide appraisals of donations.

Location and Hours of Operation

The Pat Scales Special Collections Room is located on the second floor of Carmichael Library.  The reading room includes secure stacks, exhibit cases, reading tables and chairs, internet access and power sources, and reading chairs.  The room is available for use by appointment during daytime hours, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Special requests to use the room for events will be taken under consideration by the Library Director and the University Archivist. 

If you would like to schedule an appointment to use the room or view materials in the collection, email the University Archivist.

Children's and YA Book Lists

Many children's and YA books can be found in Carmichael Library's circulating Youth Collection, Pat Scales Special Collection, and Archives and Special Collections. The lists below, built using TeachingBooks, feature books from these collections and include call numbers as well as links to instructional resources.

TeachingBooks is online database of thousands of multimedia resources you can use to explore children's and young adult books and their authors. The resource collection includes short movies, audio book readings, book discussion guides, lesson plans, and more. This database is provided statewide through the Alabama Virtual Library or directly here: https://www.teachingbooks.net/.  Also, you can find it in the library database listing. 

Note: You can also view the lists in an A to Z format.