Banned Books Week Activities

Saturday, September 26, 2009 -
Friday, October 9, 2009

Celebrate freedom to read at the University Libraries during Banned Books Week, Sept. 26-Oct. 3. Observed since 1982, Banned Books Week is an annual event promoted by the American Library Association that serves to celebrate the freedom to read and to remind Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted. During Banned Books Week 2009, the University Libraries and the student-led Progressive Librarians Guild from the School of Information Resources and Library Science are sponsoring a number of events that are free and open to the public. All are invited to join the discussion on challenging censorship and celebrating our freedom to read.

Banned Books Exhibit

Visit the Main Library lobby to view the Banned Books Exhibit on display Sept. 26-Oct. 9. Curated by the student-led Progressive Librarians Guild at the UA, the exhibit explores challenged books, articles written about questioned literature, and more. Did you know? The following popular titles included in the exhibit were banned or were challenged:

• "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien
• "The Da Vinci Code," by Dan Brown
• "To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee
• "Slaughterhouse-Five," by Kurt Vonnegut
• "The Wizard of Oz," by L. Frank Baum

Free Film Fest About Challenged Books

The Progressive Librarians Guild is hosting a free film festival about challenged books on Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Memorial Center's Gallagher Theater.

Documentary Screening, "Read Out!" and Panel Discussion

A viewing of the short documentary film, "Writers and Censorship," will begin at 6 p.m. Sept. 30 in the Main Library lobby. It will be followed by a "Read Out!" in which campus and community members are invited to read passages from their favorite challenged materials. A panel discussion about the importance of access to diversity of ideas in a democratic society concludes the program. 

Audience: All, Small (1-50)