ABCs of DCGMS Library: C is for Censorship & Banned Books Week

Today's ABCs of DCGMS Library is brought to you by the letter C as we look at censorship and Banned Books Week. Over the years, there have been a variety of ways we've taken a look at censorship; you can read the posts HERE.

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Conversations with students about challenged and banned books are always engaging as many are unaware of how common challenges are across the country. Often students are surprised to learn that books they've read or are familiar with have been challenged.

One activity to recognize Banned Books Week 2018 was to meet with several advisories to share information about the history of Banned Books Week and look at recently challenged titles.

And library displays encouraged students to take a look at censorship as it relates to the library.

Banned Books Week 2018

The last week of September means it's Banned Books Week! Going strong for more than three decades, Banned Books Week came about as a response to an increase in challenges and organized protests after a US Supreme Court case ruling stated that school officials cannot ban books in libraries just because of questionable content. Since that time, Banned Book Week has become a celebration of the fact that in a majority of cases, challenged books remain available to all who seek them.

The American Library Association tracks the number of challenged and banned books each year, and again this year, the ALA has put together the Top 10 Challenged Book of 2017.

Want to see Top 10 lists dating back to the year 2000 and even earlier? CLICK HERE to access the ALA's website listing books and the reasons behind the challenges. Keep in mind that these lists only represent a small portion of book challenges. The ALA reports that "Surveys indicate that 82-97% of book challenges--documented requests to remove materials from schools or libraries--remain unreported and receive no media."

So why are books challenged? The infographic below shows a variety of reasons. Often books are challenged because of explicit language (profanity, sexuality) or because of topics deemed "inappropriate" by the challenger, such as political bias or religion, LGBTQ issues, or violence.

Want to know more? Take a look at the video below, and visit the ALA's website devoted to Banned Books Week. Feeling adventurous? Maybe even stop by the library to take a look at some of these challenged or banned books!

Banned Books Week 2015

The American Library Association recognizes Banned Books Week every fall, and this year we do so from September 27 - October 3.

According to the ALA's website, there is a clear difference between challenging a book or banning a book:

The Office of Intellectual Freedom tracks the books challenged in a year's time, and the following books were the top 10 most frequently challenged titles in 2014:

To recognize Banned Books Week and to bring the topic to students' attentions, we have two library displays that have sparked great questions and conversations with students.

Are you talking with your students about Banned Books Week? Have you had conversations about your rights related to reading? Maybe you've even noticed that you've read a challenged or banned book! 

Thoughts about The Giver

Lois Lowry's Newbery-award winning dystopian novel The Giver hits the big screen today (you can watch the trailer HERE), and with its release comes talk about why it's often a challenged or banned book in schools.

According to an article by Ben Blatt for Slate, The Giver ranks 11th among books "requested for removal" between the years 1990 - 1999; in the 2000's, the book still ranked 23rd on the list. The Office for Intellectual Freedom reports that just under one-third of the time was the book removed from the shelf.

Most requests to remove a book are related to sexually explicit content or offensive language; however, The Giver doesn't fit that stereotype. Instead, those who wish to see it removed from shelves say that the story is "unsuited for the age group," which typically means the story is too "dark" for the intended age of the audience.

In Blatt's article "Will The Giver Movie Prompt More Schools to Ban the Book?"we can see that The Giver is challenged nearly two times more often for its "unsuitability" than all other books challenged:

Have you read The Giver? Do you have plans to see the movie? With Banned Books Week just around the corner (September 21 - 27), you might want to do both and be part of the conversation!

Banned Books Week, Sept. 22 - 28, 2013

The American Library Association and the Office for Intellectual Freedom celebrates Banned Books Week each year at the end of September to recognize the strength of (and the challenges to) our First Amendment rights. 

In 2012, many books that you know of--and maybe even read!--were challenged in public and school libraries across the United States. Here is the list from the ALA:

Click HERE to access lists from other years.

To recognize Banned Books Week, a new display in the library features several books that have been challenged over the years, as well as a description why they were challenged.

Many teachers and staff also volunteered to have their "mug shots" taken because they have read some of these challenged books.

Curious about why books are challenged or interested to know if you've read some of these books? Stop by the library to check out the display!

Banned Books Week, Sept. 20 - Oct. 2, 2012

Banned Books Week, now in its 30^th year, 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. . . . 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" (American Library Association). 

Click here to access a timeline about banned books in the United States.

Below are images of the library display to recognize Banned Books Week: