Community Corner
Stark County District Library: Celebrate Your Freedom To Read (Banned Books)!
It's Banned Books Week, and we are celebrating our freedom to read!
October 01, 2020
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It’s Banned Books Week, and we are celebrating our freedom to read! Did you know the Harry Potter books, the Bible, and even Shel Silverstein’s A Light in the Attic have been challenged? It’s true!
This week is not just about all the books that were challenged or banned, but it shines a light on the very real people whose self-expression is suppressed and whose stories are silenced. Many of the most frequently banned books are, or go on to become, celebrated classics because they address very real issues of their times. A few examples are To Kill a Mockingbird, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and yes, even the Harry Potter series.
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We Value Intellectual Freedom
Librarians and teachers are huge advocates for protecting your right to read. It’s even part of the Library Bill of Rights and one of our values. Censorship is the suppression of ideas and information that other individuals, groups or officials deem objectionable or dangerous. It’s as simple as saying, “I don’t like it, so you can’t have it.”
Don’t you have the right to be exposed to a variety of viewpoints and decide for yourself? We think so. Libraries provide the ideas and information, from a variety of viewpoints because we believe that being informed makes us better citizens.
What’s the difference between challenging and banning?
A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials while banning is the actual removal. It happens in schools and libraries more often than you’d think—just last year 566 books were called into question. According to the American Library Association (ALA), Harry Potter is still in the Top 10 Challenged Books of 2019.
Books are usually challenged with the best intentions—to protect others from difficult ideas and information. Most challenges are unsuccessful and the books stay on the shelves for eager readers just like you! Learn more about why books are challenged.
Why read banned books?
Reading banned books not only celebrates reading; it promotes acceptance and openness to new ideas and widens your world view, too.
This press release was produced by the Stark County District Library. The views expressed are the author's own.