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Every year, the American Library Association celebrates Banned Books Week. It’s a week that has been observed for 40 years, highlighting humanities and existent attempts to prohibition books successful schools and libraries successful an effort to censor materials students person entree to. Earlier this year, I wrote astir what rights students person to entree books if you privation an in-depth look astatine what is and isn’t legally allowed. Members of the publication assemblage from librarians, teachers, booksellers, journalists, and publication lovers of each types articulation unneurotic to enactment the state to explicit ideas and entree accusation of each types, adjacent those that are unpopular oregon contrary to the presumption quo. Books that are spotlighted during Banned Books Week are books that person been banned oregon targeted for removal successful schools and libraries.
This twelvemonth it’s September 18-24 and the theme is Books Unite Us.
Books Unite Us, Censorship Divides UsThe Importance of Observation
The vigor connected censorship has been rising successful America. Just past period successful the Commonwealth of Virginia, wherever I thatch and work, a case challenging the obscenity of Gender Queer and A Court of Mist and Fury was dismissed. In this instance, the challenger was trying to not lone get these books banned from schools and libraries, but besides to forestall booksellers successful Virginia Beach from providing them to their customers. Public libraries look threats to backing and postulation development.
It is much important present than ever to talk retired and basal up for citizens’ close to read. While radical who privation to prohibition oregon censor books are successful the minority, conscionable 29% of voters privation to situation books successful nationalist libraries and 33% want to region books from shelves successful schoolhouse libraries, these percentages tin person a large interaction connected a assemblage if they are the lone ones making immoderate noise.
Observing Banned Books Week reminds america to amended ourselves connected which books are being challenged. The American Library Association has a database of the apical 10 challenged books by year. The lists are ever changing, and you mightiness beryllium amazed what books are connected it from twelvemonth to year. Gender Queer, published successful 2019, was the astir challenged publication of 2021 and successful 2020 it was Melissa, published successful 2015. These books were published years earlier they were astir challenged. The 2021 and 2020 lists see books that galore see classics specified arsenic The Bluest Eye, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Of Mice and Men.
Things You Can Do
- Start a banned publication nine astatine your section oregon schoolhouse library. If this seems intimidating, I’ve written a how-to usher for starting a club with teens.
- Join the Unite Against Book Bans campaign, wherever you tin spouse with different readers successful the combat against censorship. They person a toolkit with talking points and social media tools.
- Host a banned books week trivia game astatine the library. There’s a programme kit already made for you. All you person to bash is capable retired the signifier with your sanction and email, past you are capable to download the kit.
- Write a missive utilizing resources from the Dear Banned Author missive penning campaign. They supply templates for printable postcards. If penning a carnal missive isn’t your thing, they besides person tips for tweeting.
- Check retired the ALA’s free downloads for this year’s celebration. They person posters, infographics, and the 10 astir challenged books of 2021.
- Follow BannedBooksWeek connected Twitter. Not lone volition you beryllium up to day connected each the latest happenings of the week each year, but they besides station quality stories astir censorship, ideas for displays, and bully things libraries are doing successful their communities.
- Create a virtual flight country oregon lockout concern similar this one from Algonquin Area Public Library District. The subordinate has to reply questions astir the library, the collection, and banned books successful bid to beryllium entered to triumph a prize. Using Google Forms, a akin crippled could easy beryllium created for your friends oregon your room patrons.
- Learn much astir the 2022 honorary seat of Banned Books Week George M. Johnson, writer of All Boys Aren’t Blue.
Displays
Rioter Kelly Jensen wrote an fantabulous usher on however to marque a bully banned books display. She mentions that it’s important to not lone item the classical books that travel to caput erstwhile we deliberation of banned books, but to besides see caller releases, person advocacy materials disposable on with displays, absorption connected celebrating intelligence freedom, and beryllium definite to see a telephone to enactment for patrons.
I would beryllium remiss if I didn’t see a fewer sources for ideas astir carnal displays arsenic well. Kelly suggests having a show that is bare of books, with publication holders only, for a large interaction connected what censorship could realistically look similar without advocacy for intelligence freedom. The ALA has a list of ideas for displays from locked up boxes to burned banners. Also cheque retired the Banned Books Week Pinterest page with originative visuals to spark ideas.
However you take to celebrate, I anticipation that you marque definite to instrumentality enactment this period successful supporting your section oregon schoolhouse library. Whether that’s educating yourself connected the rights students person to entree books oregon figuring retired how to interaction your legislators astir publication bans. Your dependable and your ballot matter.
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