By Gaby Silva, Youth Services Librarian
For the past few years, I have had the pleasure of creating book displays to commemorate Banned Books Week at the Colusa Library main branch. Typically celebrated during late September or early October, Banned Books Week is an annual event responding to efforts to remove or restrict access to books. Bringing together librarians, educators, authors, publishers, booksellers, and readers from all over, Banned Books Week explores the effects of censorship and emphasizes the importance of free and open access to information, in other words, our right to read.
Banned Books week was established in 1982 in response to an increase in challenges to books in libraries, bookstores, and schools. As defined by the American Library Association (ALA), a “challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials” and a “banning is the removal of those materials.” Currently, libraries all over the country are facing an overwhelming number of attempts to ban books. According to ALA’s “Censorship by Numbers,” most challenges prior to 2020 were initiated by individual parents who wanted to remove or restrict access to specific titles being read by their children. Recent censorship data reports that nearly 72% of censorship attempts in 2024 were initiated in relation to organized campaigns from pressure groups and decision makers, amounting to 4,190 targeted titles.
At its core, Banned Books Week is a celebration of reading. One of my favorite aspects of books is how they can transport readers. To paraphrase children’s literature expert Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, books are mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Books allow us to see ourselves and take comfort in shared experiences. They also allow us glimpses into the minds and hearts of others, inviting us to live their experiences and comprehend their views. To limit our freedom to read is to deny us the possibility of expanding our worlds.
Celebrate reading and the freedom to read by checking out our Banned Books Week display at the main library. This year’s theme is “Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights.” The theme is a callback to George Orwell’s classic book “1984,” which warns readers about the dangers of censorship. The theme emphasizes the importance of defending our right to read, underlining that censorship should not be a present-day issue. The display features several challenged books available for checkout, each including a bookmark indicating why it has been challenged. Some of the books on display may surprise you. A few of my favorites include “Hop on Pop” by Dr. Seuss, “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak, and “The Captain Underpants” series by Dav Pilkey.