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Banned Books Week
"Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles lists of challenged books as reported in the media and submitted by librarians and teachers across the country." - Banned Books Week Coalition
The SJR State Library is committed to protecting intellectual freedom and supports the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, Freedom to Read Statement, Freedom to View Statement, and Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries.
Resources
American Library Association Releases Preliminary Data on 2022 Book Bans
PEN America tracks all book bans in libraries and classrooms across the U.S. in our Index of School Book Bans, updated for the 2022-2023 school year.
Read a Banned Book!
October 2 - 6: Get Booked in the Library!
It's #BannedBooksWeek! Will you get caught? Show us what you're reading by taking a photo in the Library through October 6!
