Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week 2010

 

September 28 to October 2, 2010 is Banned Books Week. Sponsored by the American Booksellers Association; American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression; the American Library Association; American Society of Journalists and Authors; Association of American Publishers; and the National Association of College Stores, Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read. This year’s theme is “Think for Yourself and Let Others Do the Same.” 

You can find lists of frequently challenged books and banned and challenged classics on the ALA Website. Banned books are of concern to the American Library Association, whose Code of Ethics states, “We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources.” 

You are probably aware of the media reports of the Florida pastor who planned to burn the Quran on September 11th. However you may not be aware that the Bible; several different dictionaries, including Websters; and many popular children’s books have been challenged or banned. 

The greatest number of challenges come from parents of school-aged children. Librarians resist censorship. How would you face such challenges if they became an issue in the community in which you minister?

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