From Kathy Lunde, Orcas Island Public Library
Celebrate Banned Books Week September 30-October 6, 2012
Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.
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.
Banned Books Week 2012 marks its 30th anniversary. Thousands of individuals and institutions across the United States participate in Banned Books Week each year, and it has grown into a premier literary event and a national awareness and advocacy campaign around censorship.
The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted with removal or restrictions in libraries and schools. While books have been and continue to be banned, part of the Banned Books Week celebration is the fact that, in a majority of cases, the books have remained available. This happens only thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, students, and community members who stand up and speak out for the freedom to read.
The Orcas Island Public Library commemorates Banned Books Week with a display of the items that have made this year’s list. Some examples of these books are:
- To the Wedding by John Berger,
- Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card,
- Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen,
among others. We will also be offering our famous Banned Books Brownies. Stop by the Library and check it out!
