Your Freedom to Read

Banned Books Week is here for 2013.  This "annual event celebrating the freedom to read... highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community...[in] support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular."

One of the most important ideas behind libraries-- and something that we hold very dear at NPL-- is your Freedom to Read.  The only person who can decide if a book is right for you is you.  We refuse to support any actions that would move, label, remove, or otherwise restrict access to items in the library.


The American Library Association's Freedom to Read statement says, in part, "Most attempts at suppression rest on a denial of the fundamental premise of democracy: that the ordinary individual, by exercising critical judgment, will select the good and reject the bad. We trust Americans to recognize propaganda and misinformation, and to make their own decisions about what they read and believe. We do not believe they are prepared to sacrifice their heritage of a free press in order to be 'protected' against what others think may be bad for them. We believe they still favor free enterprise in ideas and expression."  (The entire Freedom to Read statement is available here.)

Many books were challenged in U.S. schools and public libraries in 2012; the list, which contains many classic but also titles new to the list, is available here.  Resources and information will appear here on the blog daily throughout Banned Books Week 2013; we hope you will bring any questions to us.

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