Banned Books Week 2015

Banned Books Week, is a national celebration that has been held annually during the last week of September for the past 30+ years.  This week celebrates the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Those who celebrate this week do so to increase awareness that your favorite book may very well be in danger, that your freedom to choose what you read or learn is not guaranteed in the world today, that though you may have the ability to choose, not everyone does and those who do not need to be supported, defended.  

You may think banning books is something in the past, a part of history, but sadly it isn't. Every year there are challenges to books (including books by Dr. Seuss) in schools and libraries across the United States — even right here in Oregon.  

 In essence, BBW in the Library is about our celebrating and enforcing your right to read, learn, think, and find out about whatever you want.

The TVCC Library participates in the Banned Books Week celebration every year honoring the freedom to read by acknowledging the books that have been banned or challenged and the authors who had the brilliance to write them. Banned Book week "celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met." (taken from the ALA)

How do we celebrate?  Well, we are giving away some awesome gift sets and prizes.  You will see many of your campus staff and faculty proudly wearing their Banned Books buttons.  You’ll find our Facebook page linked with some fabulous videos and streaming YouTube channels of authors and people like yourselves reading their favorite books. 

On Friday, to finish up our celebration and because we all will have survived the first week of school, there will be treats in the Library all day.  Stop by and see us at any point in the week and definitely on Friday!

Oh wait…what about the prizes, you ask?  To enter the drawing simply comment here, on our Facebook page, Tweet us @LibraryTVCC with the name of your favorite Banned Book (#BannedBooksWeek) and you will be entered.

Some titles that made the Banned list this year, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, The Fault in Our Stars,  Paper Towns, Hop on Pop (Seuss), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The Kite Runner, Brave New World, Nineteen Minutes, The Bluest Eye, The Working Poor: Invisible in America, Of Mice and Men, The Glass Castle, and many more.