Alaskan Libraries Shelve Former Governor’s New Title

Sarah Palin, once at the center of book-banning controversy while mayor of Wasilla, is causing a bit of a headache for libraries this week as they decide how much shelf space and budget to devote to her new book – as well as the multiple other titles being released about her.

AK’s Homer Tribune reports: Deciding how many books about Palin to stock on their shelves turns out to be a tricky question. On one hand, libraries have limited budgets for ordering new materials and limited space to shelve them. On the other hand, they want to meet readers’ demands. Terri Burdick, director of the Joyce K Carver Memorial Library in Soldotna, said “it’s difficult to order books on hot topics, like Palin. There tends to be demand for them when they first come out, but it fizzles quickly.”

Burdick said she plans to order “Sarah from Alaska: The Sudden Rise and Brutal Education of a New Conservative Superstar,” by Scott Conroy and Shushannah Walshe, and The Persecution of Sarah Palin: How the Elite Media Tried to Bring Down a Rising Star by Matthew Continetti. She said she’s also considering ordering a copy of Going Rouge: An American Nightmare. The book is a response to Palin’s book from the editors of The Nation magazine, published by OR Books. It’s a collection of essays about Palin, including from two Alaska writers.