{"id":15359,"date":"2019-09-24T21:56:50","date_gmt":"2019-09-24T21:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.nnlm.gov\/ner\/?p=15359"},"modified":"2019-09-24T22:00:16","modified_gmt":"2019-09-24T22:00:16","slug":"freedom-to-read","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.nnlm.gov\/region_7\/2019\/09\/24\/freedom-to-read\/","title":{"rendered":"Freedom to Read"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week, <\/span>September 22, through September 28, <\/span>is <\/span>Banned Books Week.\u00a0 It is an annual event celebrating the freedom to not be in the dark and read.\u00a0 It brings attention to both current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools.\u00a0 <\/span>According to the American Library Association\u00a0 (ALA), banned books week was launched in the early 80\u2019s around the time of the 1982 Supreme Court Case, <\/span>Island Trees School District v Pico<\/span><\/a>, which ruled that school officials can\u2019t ban books in libraries simply because of their content.\u00a0 Libraries including the NLM regularly champion intellectual freedom because it enables librarians to fulfill their primary mission of providing and preserving information. As William Wallace Young said in an <\/span>interview<\/span><\/a> with Martin Kauffman, \u201cIf<\/span> you want a book to be very popular, you just get it banned, right?\u201d <\/span>The <\/span>NLM Digital Collections <\/span><\/a>\u00a0provides access to historical books, photographs, images, online transcripts and maps, some of which have been banned or censored in the past<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This week during Banned Books Week, celebrate and fight for your right to access information. There are free promotional tools and event listings at b<\/span>annedbooksweek.org<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 Looking at the current listing of challenged books can be quite a surprise when you recognize some current titles, that are also movies, are on the list. In addition, the ALA is hosting f<\/span>ree webinars and downloads<\/span><\/a> for <\/span>d<\/span>isplay ideas<\/span><\/a>, tips on <\/span>h<\/span>ow to get involved<\/span><\/a>, some suggestions include joining a <\/span>B<\/span>anned Books Week Q&A<\/span><\/a>, donate to the <\/span>The LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund also known as the Merritt Fund<\/span><\/a> or the <\/span>Comic Book Legal Relief Fund<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>or <\/span>p<\/span>articipate in the National Read-Out.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

What Banned Books Week has shown me is that censorship can happen anywhere, any time.\u00a0 It is wise to be proactive, and remember to incorporate lessons learned from banned book week throughout the year. If you are a Librarian, when purchasing make sure there are policies in place before the book is challenged.\u00a0 Train the people at the circulation desk on procedures if a book is challenged, maybe have a checklist to follow if a book is challenged.<\/span><\/p>\n

If a book is challenged, you are not alone.\u00a0 There are resources available that may be helpful such such as the ALA Office for Intellectual freedom which <\/span>provides confidential support to anyone undergoing a challenge or ban. This support can come in the form of letters, book reviews, resources, talking points or emotional support. People can report<\/span> censorship online<\/span><\/a>, with Challenge Reporting or by calling <\/span>1-800-545-2433, ext. 4226 or or email <\/span>oif@ala.org<\/span><\/a>. \u00a0 <\/span>Censorship and book challenges are difficult but if you face this challenge know there are resources available to you.\u00a0 Awareness is key, so we are not left in the dark and can keep our freedom to read.<\/span><\/p>\n

Resources:<\/span><\/p>\n