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Syracuse University Libraries

Banned Books Week

Banned and Contested: Perspectives on Challenging Book Censorship

September 25, 2024 at 2:00pm – 5:00pm EDT

Bird Library, Peter Graham Scholarly Commons (Room 114)

 

2:00pm - 3:00pm,  PANEL about current book challenges and banning in the U.S. and regionally.

The panelists are:

  • Roy Gutterman, Professor and Director of the Tully Center for Free Speech
  • Allison Comes, Coordinator, O²CM School Library System
  • Meg Van Patten, Director, Baldwinsville Public Library
  • Leah T. Dudak, Librarian and PhD student, Syracuse University iSchool

 

3:00pm - 5:00pm, COMMUNITY READ-OUT Members of the community are invited to bring a favorite banned book to read from or choose one from our table of banned books. There will also be a raffle of related items. All are welcome to come and go as they would like. 

 

Please visit the Banned Books Week display on the main floor of Bird Library on September 22-28.

 

LIBRARIES BLOG: Guest authors from the iSchool. Book Bans are Newsworthy, But They Aren't New by Alex Shoshani; Teaching Representation: K-12 Educator Perspectives on Banned Books by Payton D. Cooke.

The Libraries’ 2024 celebration of Banned Books Week features blog and display content developed by graduate students from the Syracuse University iSchool. Many thanks to Payton Cooke and Alex Shoshani for their contributions.

What is Banned Books Week?

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read! Every year, hundreds of books are challenged to be banned from libraries and schools throughout the world. These challenges aim to restrict or even completely remove access to certain books. 

Typically held during late September/early October, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community—librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types—in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.

By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship. The American Library Association (ALA)'s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles lists of challenged books as reported in the media and submitted by librarians and teachers across the country.

Included is the list of the 10 Most Challenged Books for 2023.