News From library

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   "Catcher In The Rye" ... "Harry Potter" ... "To Kill A Mockingbird" ... Every year, there are hundreds of attempts to remove books from schools and libraries.

   Since 1990, the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom has recorded more than 8,700 book challenges, including 405 in 2005. A challenge is a formal, written complaint requesting a book be removed from library shelves or school curriculum. About three out of four of all challenges are to material in schools or school libraries, and one in four are to material in public libraries. OIF estimates that less than one-quarter of challenges are reported and recorded.

   In support of the right to choose books freely, the ALA and Taylor Library are sponsoring Banned Books Week (Sept. 24 - Oct. 2), an annual celebration of our right to access books without censorship. This year's observance is themed "Elect to Read a Banned Book," and commemorates the most basic freedom in a democratic society—the freedom to read freely—and encourages us not to take this freedom for granted. While not every book is intended for every reader, each of us has the right to decide what to read.

   Celebrate YOUR freedom to read and right to choose your book during Banned Books Week. Visit the library to view our banned books display and explore a banned or challenged book. Stay tuned for details on an upcoming presentation on banned books.