Library Celebrates the Freedom to Read
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What do Judy Blume and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men have
in common? Both are part of a long list of books some people wanted
to prevent others from reading.
In September, WVU Libraries marked Banned Books Week by joining
libraries around the nation in celebrating the freedom to read by
turning the spotlight on banned or challenged books.
“Banned book week is an educational week where we try to inform
the public that books are being challenged for their ideas,”
said Heather Campbell, a library technical assistant. “Even
if a person doesn’t believe or agree with the material that’s
in a book, that doesn’t mean it should be taken off the shelf.”
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Several students stopped by a display in the Mountainlair
to educate themselves about banned and challenged books.
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Challenging a book is requesting a book be removed from school or library
shelves.
The ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom says it has recorded more than
6,500 challenges in the past decade. Research suggests that the actual
number of challenges could be four times greater.
The most challenged titles last year included books from the Harry Potter
series; and decades after publication, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and
Men landed a close second.
Those were some of the facts shared with students through a display set
up in the Mountainlair by WVU Libraries. It also had a list of the 100
most challenged books, and
Campbell and other librarians distributed pamphlets about banned or challenged
books.
“Not every book is for every individual,” Campbell said. “I
would hope people would take a look at these books and at least read them
to say whether or not they agree with who’s challenging them.”
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