Banned Books: Censorship and Silencing the Marginalized

About The Guest(s): Charity is the Executive Director of the Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation and has been involved in nonprofit work for many years. She is passionate about advocating for libraries and protecting intellectual freedom.

Summary: Charity discusses the issue of book banning and censorship in libraries. She explains that book banning is a form of censorship that silences marginalized voices and restricts access to information. She highlights the importance of allowing individuals to see themselves in print materials and the value of diverse representation in libraries.

Charity also addresses the misconception that libraries allow access to explicit content on public computers and emphasizes the importance of behavior policies in maintaining a safe and inclusive environment. She shares insights on the increase in book challenges and bans and the need for proactive measures to protect libraries, publishers, authors, and librarians.

Key Takeaways:

• Book banning is a form of censorship that silences marginalized voices and restricts access to information.
• The largest percentage of banned books are about race or LGBTQ issues by Black or LGBTQ authors.
• Libraries should provide diverse representation in their collections to allow individuals to see themselves in print materials.

BANNED BOOK RESOURCES

Banned & Challenged Books Data - https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/book-ban-data

Censorship by the Numbers for 2022 data.-https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/by-the-numbers

Books Unbanned - https://www.spl.org/programs-and-services/teens/books-unbannedhttps://www.bklynlibrary.org/books-unbanned

Office of Intellectual Freedom https://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/oif

Freedom to Read Foundation https://www.ftrf.org/

Unite Against Book Bans https://uniteagainstbookbans.org T

op 13 Challenged Books for 2022 https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10

United for Libraries - https://www.ala.org/united/advocacy/challenges

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