Comments on: what’s happening from the middle of “banned books week” websites

By: I support the reading of banned and challenged books « I am the Lizard Queen!

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:35:44 +0000

[...] the other hand there are pieces like the blog post Jessamyn at librarian.net put up, and her commentary on the aforementioned MetaFilter thread. In the latter, she points out that [...]

By: Emily Knox

Emily Knox — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:47:09 +0000

Perhaps it would be more accurate to call the week “Challenged Books Week.” It lacks a certain umph though.

By: Tweets that mention librarian.net » Blog Archive » what’s happening from the middle of “banned books week” websites -- Topsy.com

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:32:13 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by DElibrarian and PostRank – Library. PostRank – Library said: what’s happening from the middle of “banned books week”… http://bit.ly/XffeA #postrank #library [...]

By: Els Kushner

Els Kushner — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:55:10 +0000

It looks to me like ALA breathed some life into their site this year at http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/ . It would’ve been nice if they’d linked there from their old page.

I also like what I’ve seen of the Kids’ Right to Read program, co-sponsored by the National Coalition Against Censorship and the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression: http://www.ncac.org/Kids-Right-to-Read .

By: richard james

richard james — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:10:13 +0000

I spent some time this afternoon on the Mapofbookcensorship.html website looking at the specifics of the listed complaints. Everything I looked at fell into the following general structure:
1. Parent or other community member had a concern about the content or appropriateness of library material
2. They registered the concern with an agency that had authority over the issue
3. The agency considered the concern within its governing policy
4. In some cases, the outcome of the initial consideration was felt to be unsatisfactory
4a. In very few cases, access to the library material was limited in some manner. Typically this was by changing the grade to which the book was assigned (which seems perfectly legitimate to me), or by changing the location of a book within a library (less legitimate IMHO)
5. In most of these cases, there was a further consideration by the same or other agency
6. The outcome of every case was that library material remained available.

It seems reasonable enough that in effect there is a structure that allows participation and influence by people with an interest in the matter, and that this structure is subject to a number of checks and balances. Maybe the motto of BBW should be “Librarians know better”? In any case, ALA is spending a lot of resources every year to point out that a very few people don’t want their kid to read Bless Me Ultima, and that their complaints don’t really have any impact.

By: Diedre Conkling

Diedre Conkling — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:45:29 +0000

I have never been a real fan of the name of the week, Banned Books Week, but I am a fan of the spirit of the week and the opportunity to acknowledge that we are mostly a free society where free expression is not just tolerated but encouraged. Yes, many other countries have significant censorship of materials and expression where we do not, which is why we celebrate this week and the 1st Amendment of our Constitution.

Today on the Thom Hartman Program, http://www.thomhartmann.com/, was a very good segment about Banned Books week with Kenneth Davis. To get a little bit of the flavor of the discussion here is a short video, http://www.dontknowmuch.com/2009/09/banned-books-week/ .

We have had a lot of press about the event locally, newspapers and radio. We are too rural for our own tv outlet. Statewide, Oregon, the ACLU has sent out great little yellow buttons for free to libraries that we are handing out to our patrons. The buttons, of course, say “I read banned books.” The people coming into the libraries are seeing the displays and happily leave the library wearing a button.

By: Joanne

Joanne — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:17:53 +0000

I’ve never really understood the purpose of this event. Does the public really need to be lectured to about censorship? The people who want to censor or ban books are certainly gaining nothing from our well-meaning library displays, and I don’t really see any teenagers running out to get a book BECAUSE it has been banned in other places. We can tell kids that they have freedom to read whatever they want, but if they are reading books that their parents don’t approve of or let them check out what are we really telling them, that other people also read books that their parents don’t like? “uh… thanks.” We aren’t changing anybody’s mind here. The most I ever get at my library is “Huh, To Kill a Mockingbird was banned in some high school? That’s weird.” How about instead of talking about banned books we talk about banned people. We talk not about “Annie on my Mind” but about real gay teenagers who are facing abuse and how people in the community can help.

By: richard

richard — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:45:13 +0000

My thinking is that most everything about BBW is overblown and borderline absurd, starting with the title. My state is relatively rural, relatively conservative and every single one of the “banned” books is available in every public library, and we have very little in the way of challenges because the libraries are well connected with their communities and take parental responsibility as the guiding principle.

ALA should rebrand the whole concept- there are plenty of authors and librarians in other countries who take real risks and face real threats. self-congratulatory navel-gazing based on the fact that we slap down anyone who suggests that TTFL is a s****y book that probably damages girls self-esteem if they read it is parochial and bordering on insulting.

By: Mary Jo

Mary Jo — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:10:00 +0000

Forgot to include the link to the Wall Street Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204518504574420882837440304.html

By: Mary Jo

Mary Jo — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:08:38 +0000

Did you read the editorial in the Wall Street Journal? “Finding Censorship Where There Is None” by Mitchell Muncy. He makes an interesting point that libraries celebrating banned books week in effect stigmatizes patrons who wish to register concerns about materials.

By: Tianna Xander » Blog Archive » Banned Books Week

Tianna Xander » Blog Archive » Banned Books Week — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:56:03 +0000

[...] to date information available to those who count on them to provide it. For more information click HERE and see those whom you think should promote Banned Books Week and aren’t. At least not when that [...]

By: Baby Got Books » Banned Books Week Jumps the Shark?

Baby Got Books » Banned Books Week Jumps the Shark? — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:40:10 +0000

[...] in the midst of Banned Books Week 09, and there seems to be a collective yawn this year. Librarian.net notes that most of the organizations co-sponsoring the event with the American Library Association [...]

By: No wonder Banned Books Week isn’t well known – the organizers don’t care | TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:23:15 +0000

[...] at librarian.net, has a very depressing listing of all the sites that should be promoting Banned Books Week – but aren’t. Read it and [...]