CGCC Librarians are preparing to observe Banned Books Week over the last week of September. According to the American Library Association (ALA), this event began in 1982 "in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in libraries, bookstores, and schools."
This year's theme is "Freed Between the Lines." Read on as Adjunct Library Faculty offer their thoughts on challenged books and censorship.
From Alyssa Carter, Adjunct Library Faculty:
Banned Books Week is September 22-28!
Now, you may be asking… what exactly are Banned Books? They are a list of materials that have been challenged in public libraries and schools for a variety of reasons. Many of the challenges believe they are challenging with best intentions, but censorship like this can be more harmful than good. Some reasons for the challenges include “inappropriate sexual content” and “offensive languages”. However, Librarians as well as the American Library Association condemn censorship to ensure every individual has free access to information.
Reading is a critical and foundational skill for learning. Individuals should have a right to make their own decisions about literature even if they involve challenging/complex issues. Not only that, but censoring materials could mean an individual loses the ability to see themselves reflected in stories, resulting in patrons feeling excluded.
Advocacy for literacy freedom is one of the most important aspects of librarianship. Librarians work hard every day to ensure everyone walking through the door feels included and welcomed no matter what they check out or their purpose for being there. So, stop by the library and check out a book! You never know what you’re going to find.
Challenged titles you may recognize include: Captain Underpants (Dav Pilkey), To Kill A Mocking Bird (Harper Lee), The Hate U Give (Angie Thomas), 1984 (George Orwell), and Thirteen Reasons Why (Jay Asher).
To learn more, visit uniteagainstbookbans.org
Emily Jacobson, Adjunct Library Faculty:
Banning books has been happening for decades, yet it seems to have increased exponentially over the last few years. Censorship infringes on freedom of speech and the right to access diverse viewpoints; doing this can also erase important historical and cultural context. Books provide such great insights into different cultures, experiences, and ideas, we should embrace them, not ban them. Banning books limits exposure to these diverse perspectives, reducing empathy and understanding across different groups. In our society, we should all have the right to choose what we read. Books that are controversial or challenging should be used to foster discussions about complex and difficult issues, and to raise awareness, yet some believe no one should read them. Reading a book about a different culture, race, or gender should help others to learn and be accepting of others. Instead of banning books, we should be promoting more open dialogues and critical engagement with challenging ideas for readers of all ages.
Theresa Harvey, Adjunct Library Faculty:
I have been a librarian in elementary school libraries for the past 22 years and I have been very fortunate. No one is pulling books off the shelf or behaving aggressively towards me as I have read about in articles about the horrific treatment of public librarians.
Both schools in which I was a faculty member had a fair share of challenges, but there was a process that the patron or parent (in most cases) had to go through if they wanted to challenge the school's choice of literature housed in the library. The complaint would then be submitted for review by a committee. Oftentimes, the complainant hadn't read the book in its entirety and found it difficult to go through the process of challenging a book choice. If it reached the committee, there was usually a peaceful discussion with a resolution that didn't force us to compromise our beliefs in free speech.
Have we lost our sense of decorum in resolving problems with some civility?
Learn more about this observance and other events at https://cgc.libguides.com/Banned_Book_Week. Events include a Banned Books Readout and a Banned Books Panel.
