City of Eugene, OR
08/31/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/31/2024 18:38
Banned Books Week
In honor of Banned Books Week (Sept. 22-28), Eugene Public Library invites everyone to celebrate and rededicate ourselves to our right to read, listen to, view, write, create and otherwise experience and express whatever we choose.
This right is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. For years, many people in this country assumed that censorship was a thing of the past or at least that "it doesn't happen here." Each year, the American Library Association honored Banned Books Week largely as a reminder of historical events and an encouragement to remain aware of the potential threat of censorship and the importance of freedom of speech.
But in the past few years, our nation has faced a striking increase in censorship. Individuals, organizations, candidates and elected officials are requesting, demanding and sometimes legislating that public libraries, school libraries, classrooms and book stores remove or restrict access to particular titles.
Nationwide in 2023, a record 4,240 unique book titles were targeted for censorship. That's a 65% increase over the 2,571 unique titles targeted in 2022 -- and a staggering 128% increase over 2021. Find out more: see a map showing where most book challenges happened, explore the latest top 10 list of frequently challenged books, and learn more about this issue at Unite Against Book Bans.
In addition to addressing the harm that censorship causes, Banned Books Week celebrates the fact that over time, in the majority of cases, books have remained available precisely because people spoke out for the freedom to read. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community -- readers, writers, students, librarians, educators, booksellers, publishers and journalists -- in shared support of the value of free and open access to information, entertainment and inspiration.
To stay informed about constantly-breaking news on this topic and to get involved in protecting this essential right, visit these sites and follow their social media accounts:
OIF - American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom