What’s the deal with Banned Books Week?

Every year during Banned Books Week I get asked specifics about what books have been banned and who has banned them.  Many times books we now think of as classics were banned by school systems or even public libraries in the past.  For example, one of my personal favorites, “To Kill A Mockingbird” has been challenged and taken off the shelves of school libraries when parents didn’t like the language used in the novel.

Although books rarely get “banned” in libraries today, Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read and reminds us of the importance of intellectual freedom.  Basically intellectual freedom means that everyone should have the right to access and express ideas, even if the ideas are unpopular.

This idea comes through in this year’s theme for Banned Books Week:  Think for Yourself and Let Others Do the Same.

Stop by the library to browse our collection of challenged books or pick up a Banned Books Week pin.