Did you know that this is Banned Books Week? It runs from September 22nd - 28th this year.
From the American Library Association:
In a time of deep political divides, library staff across the country are facing an overwhelming number of book ban attempts. In 2023 alone, the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 1,247 efforts to censor books and other resources in libraries—an increase of 65% from the year before. In total, 4,240 unique book titles were targeted, many of them representing LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC voices and experiences.
As we gear up for Banned Books Week 2024 (September 22-28), with the theme "Freed Between the Lines," we’re reminded how much is at stake. The freedom to explore new ideas and different perspectives is under threat, and book bans don’t just restrict access to stories—they undermine our rights. Now is the time to come together, celebrate the right to read, and find freedom in the pages of a book. Let’s be "Freed Between the Lines."
Banned Books Week was founded in 1982 by Judith Krug, who began her career as a librarian and later became a research analyst for the American Library Association. You can learn more about the origins of the event in her obituary in the Evanston Roundtable. It’s fascinating.
America in the early 1980s suffered a wave of book bans similar to the modern version. The difference was that back then there was not the internet to help book banners coordinate their efforts. Today, Banned Books Week is organized by The Banned Books Week Coalition, “an international alliance of diverse organizations joined by a commitment to increase awareness about censorship attempts and to encourage the defense of the freedom to read.” Sponsors include Amnesty International, the National Book Foundation and the National Council of Teachers of English.
Here in Howard County you can participate in Banned Books Week at the Howard County Library and new indie bookstore Queen Takes Book. If you know of any other local outlets celebrating, let me know and I’ll add them here. Update: I’ve learned that Backwater Books in Old Ellicott City maintains a Banned Books table year round.
The last day of Banned Books Week is designated as Let Freedom Read Day.
In other words, don’t just read banned books, advocate for them at the ballot box.
Some of the most egregious attacks on libraries and intellectual freedom have come from state legislatures and local boards of education. Make sure you research the candidates in our HCPSS board of education race to see who supports our school librarians and places a high priority on allowing students the choice to pick from a diverse and professionally curated collection of learning materials.
Censorship and book bans are about taking away choice: the choice to explore new ideas, think new thoughts, investigate things you’ve never been exposed to before. No one is going to make you read something you don’t want to read. Librarians are not in the business of indoctrination. It’s about choice, learning, and responding to people’s needs.
That’s something worth fighting for.
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