College of Alameda Displays Banned Books

by David Hatfield Sparks, College of Alameda Librarian

Come to the College of Alameda L Building lobby to see the library’s display of books that have been banned in some way throughout the years. Be sure to pick up a handout on how to learn more about censorship!

Throughout the country, most students are starting a new academic year. Teachers are sending out their lists of required readings, and parents are beginning to gather books. In some cases, classics like "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," "The Catcher in the Rye," and "To Kill a Mocking Bird," may not be included in curriculum or available in the school library due to challenges made by parents or administrators.

Since 1990, the American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) has recorded more than 8,000 book challenges. A challenge is a formal, written complaint requesting a book be removed from library shelves or school curriculum. About three out of four of all challenges are to materials in schools or school libraries, and one in four are to material in public libraries. OIF estimates that less than one-quarter of challenges are reported and recorded.

It is thanks to the commitment of librarians, teachers, parents and students that most challenges are unsuccessful and reading materials like "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," "Slaughterhouse Five," the Harry Potter series, and Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Alice series remain available. Censorship denies our freedom as individuals to choose and think for ourselves.

In support of the right to choose books freely for ourselves, the ALA and College of Alameda Library are sponsoring a display of banned books in conjunction with Banned Books Week (Sept. 24 - Oct. 1), an annual celebration of our right to access books without censorship.

The library will keep these books and flyers on display until mid- October. This year's observance is themed "STRIKE A BLOW AGAINST CENSORSHIP, Read a Banned Book," and commemorates the most basic freedom in a democratic society — the freedom to read freely — and encourages us not to take this freedom for granted.

Since its inception in 1982, Banned Books Week has reminded us that while not every book is intended for every reader, each of us has the right to decide for ourselves what to read, listen to or view.

College of Alameda Library and thousands of libraries and bookstores across the country will celebrate the freedom to read by participating in special events, exhibits, and read-outs that showcase books that have been banned or threatened.

American libraries are the cornerstones of our democracy. Libraries are for everyone, everywhere. Because libraries provide free access to a world of information, they bring opportunity to all people. Now, more than ever, celebrate the freedom to read @ your library! Read an old favorite or a new banned book this week.