Library celebrates Banned Book week

This year, National Banned Books Week is Sept. 27 through Oct. 3rd. This week's importance highlights the significance of libraries' intellectual freedoms, notably the infringement upon Americans' First Amendment rights through censorship.

Censorship of library content has always been a hot button issue, with particular emphasis on school library content.

A Supreme Court Case (Island Trees School District v. Pico) began the push for stricter censorship laws. The case started in 1975 when a group of parents came forward with a list of books and demanded their removal from the library due to "inappropriate content," which was met with the students' resistance. The American Library Association (ALA), along with many publishers and non-profits, believe in the right to freely access information, hence creating The National Banned Books Week in 1982.

Every year, the ALA and Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF) celebrate Banned Books Week to remind Americans of the importance of their freedom to read and access information. The OIF itself exists to help librarians and patrons understand their First Amendment rights regarding library materials. Libraries are one of the last bastions of true freedom in the United States. The freedom to access whatever information you like (regardless of whether you agree with it) is pertinent to democracy. While books are continuing to be challenged daily across the country, National Banned Books Week celebrates that these books are still widely available for patrons everywhere.

Since we are limiting programming, we'll be celebrating this year a little differently. We have created videos highlighting banned books in our collection. "Storytime Online," our weekly storytime which premieres at 11 a.m. each Wednesday, will feature banned children's books during National Banned Books Week.

Celebrate with us next week! Censorship is a dead end: celebrate your freedom to read!

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Editor's note: Ashdon Wilson is a clerk of the Pea Ridge Community Library. The opinions expressed are those of the writer. She can be reached at the library at 451-8442.