Send a copy of Kathleen Stock's book to Sussex Uni Library

[PeriChristmas]

https://uk.bookshop.org/books/material-girls-why-reality-matters-for-feminism/9780349726601

Go on!
Maybe send one to your MP too?
💜💚🤍

Buying her book and getting it to a useful place = great idea

Sending it to Sussex university library =not so much

Libraries have limited shelf space and they don’t automatically add to their collection every book they are given.

If a book goes on a reading list, or is being generally discussed or publicised, the situation easily develops where dozens of students are simultaneously trying to get hold of the one or two copies of the book held by the university library. It is annoying for students and lecturers alike, when assignments can't be completed on time and/or dissertation research kept on track, or discussions held.

This is as true for Principles of Spatial Geography or Chavs as it is for Material Girls.

One copy of a book is really not much at a large university.

I might buy a copy for myself. Katherine needs all the support she can get and hopefully this puts some money in her pocket as well.

I heard them mentioning her on the Today programme this morning while covering the newspaper headlines. The (male) presenter said something along the lines - 'paper also coving the Sussex University professor Katherine who is falsely accused of transphobia'. Just dropping falsely in.

I would say the maximum number of copies my university library held of any one popular or key book would be six.

We also had departmental libraries that held multiple copies of significant books, offprints and journals.

There are many universities to get books into.

@Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies

It will simply be thrown away. Pointless, expensive and bad for the environment.

This is your idea of how a University library works, or ought to work?

Back in the day, I had to read Mein Kampf, The Thoughts of Chairman Mao, Kim Il-Sung, Colenel Gaddaffi's Little Green Book and the Official History of the Conservative Party.

Which of those should have been thrown away?

@N4ish

I support Kathleen Stock 100% but sending copies of her book to the university library really isn’t a good idea. They already have the book in stock. Buying a few copies of the book and donating them to local charity shops would be much more effective at getting the book into general circulation.

Absolutely. I work in a university Library (not in the UK). There are processes for acquiring & sticking books. They will have her text. Unsolicited donations won't achieve anything - there simply isn't the facility to stock significant amounts of volumes & no process for dealing with distribution elsewhere. It's very unfair on the Library.

Also, this process takes a while. You send a book to the Library it needs to be processed, cataloged & shelved. That's likely to be weeks at this time of year.

It's just a silly pointless gesture.

Oooh, look:

www.theargus.co.uk/news/9513535.libraries-call-for-book-donations-after-cuts-hit/

If you are determined why not contact the librarian first and ask if they would like one?
If they say ‘yes please we would love to stock half a dozen if only we had the budget’ we can all chip in.
If they say no please don’t you can do something more useful with a copy.

Back in the day, I had to read Mein Kampf, The Thoughts of Chairman Mao, Kim Il-Sung, Colenel Gaddaffi's Little Green Book and the Official History of the Conservative Party.

Which of those should have been thrown away?

It's not about the content 🙄

It's about the amount of books people want to give libraries. Donations are kept to one side to be dealt with later. Libraries are too busy managing core text requests & haven't even the space for those. We now focus on e-book first & supplementary physical copies.

The librarian upthread compared it to religious pamphlets you get handed in the street.

@SpindleWharl

I would say the maximum number of copies my university library held of any one popular or key book would be six.

We also had departmental libraries that held multiple copies of significant books, offprints and journals.

There are many universities to get books into.

Send one to others too! In fact there are plenty of places you could send a copy if you are someone who is especially worried about sending it to a university; your local library, any one of 650 MPs, your local Ward Cllr, local secondary school, college, community reading box, the hairdressers....

The point being, if you would like to show support this might be a nice way to do it. And you might educate some people whilst you are at it.

If you don't want to then don't. No one is forcing you, it's just an idea 💡

Is there any crowd funding or any other way to stick up for Katherine?

@KittenKong

The librarian upthread compared it to religious pamphlets you get handed in the street.

I didn't say I was a librarian? Just if I was to receive one that's what I'd do as I would view it the same as those unwanted pamphlets.

@Kendodd

Is there any crowd funding or any other way to stick up for Katherine?

Writing letters of support to her at her university email address?

Writing letters expressing your support for her to:
Sussex Uni
All unis
MPs
The paper letters section

Buying her book will support her financially of course.

I am dropping a copy round to my MP just in case he ‘misplaced’ his previous copy from Sex Matters! Are you sure they also sent Material Girls tho? It says on Sex Matters website that they send Trans.

Never have I been so happy to have a conservative MP as given current climate he is more likely to read it. Maybe I will drop a copy off for his wife too………

@Blessex

I am dropping a copy round to my MP just in case he ‘misplaced’ his previous copy from Sex Matters! Are you sure they also sent Material Girls tho? It says on Sex Matters website that they send Trans.

Never have I been so happy to have a conservative MP as given current climate he is more likely to read it. Maybe I will drop a copy off for his wife too………

🙌🙌🙌

I think they just sent Trans @Blessex

If we have a concerted campaign to ALL send copies to our MPs (and if they are male also to their wives) then surely between us we can cover Parliament.

In addition we really need to be getting these books up the bestseller lists so they stick out in book shops and newspaper bestseller lists. Buy copies for your friends if you can. That’s what I am now going to do.

@Blessex

If we have a concerted campaign to ALL send copies to our MPs (and if they are male also to their wives) then surely between us we can cover Parliament.

In addition we really need to be getting these books up the bestseller lists so they stick out in book shops and newspaper bestseller lists. Buy copies for your friends if you can. That’s what I am now going to do.

Me too!

I didn't say I was a librarian?
Just if I was to receive one that's what I'd do as I would view it the same as those unwanted pamphlets.

Probably should have led with that, as now anyone who didn't read beyond the first page may leave the thread thinking librarians throw books away without checking the length of the request list.

My local library shelves the books I donate (as I donate stuff that has been requested by other library users!) It's really not on to smear the reputation of a profession you don't even work in like this. Next time, make it clear that you are making grand statements about throwing unsolicited books away in your capacity as a member of the public, not a librarian.

Just if I was to receive one that's what I'd do as I would view it the same as those unwanted pamphlets.

I take it that you probably don’t read any of the links and studies we post too then. I guess that explains the posting style over the years then.

@NoNotMeNoSiree

Why? If I received it I'd just put it in the bin. It's just doing the same type of thing as those religious people you see in town foisting unwanted leaflets on you '' to help you see the way'' or whatever

Really hoping you don't work in a university! I am an atheist living near a mosque. I sometimes read the leaflets they give me. Through my child's school, as well as Muslims, I now know Jehova's Witnesses, Hindus and Christians.

I'm not scared of other people's ideas. I read tons of articles by trans idealogues. I share them too, they're much more useful for educating people as they can't be accused of being "transphobic".

It's funny that you use religion as an example. A belief in trans ideology requires a massive suspension of critical thought and a leap of faith. One must recite catechisms and recant if one slips up. There are special performances to see who is in the in crowd and who is a "TERF". There is no room for atheism. Only believers and heretics.

University libraries will have reading lists that they refer to when ordering stock, so they'll only put multiple copies on display where it'sa key text needed by lots of students. They're not going to put out 10 copies because people send 10 copies to them. University library shelf space is at a premium. They will just forward them on to a book supplier like Better World books, who send old library books over seas. You're better off sending one copy to a local FE college or public library and ask for one copy to go on the shelves.

My local library doesn't have it, so I'm thinking of buying it for myself, and donating it to them after reading it - is there some kind of general process to follow when donating book to a library, or is it best to go in and ask them directly? Also, could they decide not to put in on the shelves (for whatever reason)?

I've worked in university and public libraries. Donations are generally not helpful, unless it's a small local library that really struggles to get stock. Uni librarians and academics will select books dependent on what courses are running, what is requested, and order from specialist suppliers who do all the processing, so they're pretty much shelf-ready when they arrive.

Doing that in-house costs time and money, so donations aren't really free or straightforward, so everywhere I've worked donations sat in a box or on someone's desk for ages, sometimes months, until a member of staff had a spare hour to go through them. Most were then given away, because we either didn't need them, didn't have the resources to process them or enough shelf space. It's nothing to do with librarians' own views on a book, just that all libraries have acquisitions policies.

If you want to get them to Sussex students, then either get students filling in request forms for the book (if they don't have enough copies already), or send a load to Brighton charity shops. Or give them to your local charity shops, book hubs, etc.