Banned Books Week will take place this year on September 18-24. Every year, the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom releases statistics on the number and nature of challenges made against books the previous year. A full list of these books can be found on ALA’s website.

 

Every September since 1982, Banned Books Week is observed to bring awareness to the harm censorship creates and to highlight the importance of free access to information. This is a special week for libraries, bookstores, authors, publishers, teachers, and readers across the nation as we come together in shared support of the freedom to seek information and express ideas.

 

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. In the matter of banning or challenging books, it’s important to remember that offensive content is subjective from person to person and is sometimes isolated from the greater context of the book. The books featured during Banned Books Week have been targeted with removal or restrictions in libraries and schools. While books have been and will continue to be banned across the nation, part of the Banned Books Week celebration is the fact that, in a majority of cases, the books have remained available due to the support of librarians, teachers, and community members in conjunction with ALA’s Freedom to Read Statement.

 

This September, the Bridgeport Public Library is running a month-long display in our front lobby in honor of Banned Books Week. The Freedom to Read display features challenged and banned books wrapped in kraft paper. Each book has a plot summary printed on the back of the paper, but we are encouraging patrons to check out the books in order to unwrap and discover the book inside. The books on the shelf range from children’s picture books to classic literature to graphic novels. The display is informational in nature, so curious minds can read the informational posters on the display that give context to what a challenge versus a ban is, why books are challenged, and why banning books encroaches on the freedom to read.