Ban the Banned

This week is Banned Books Week, and like many other libraries across the United States, our library has a display of books that have been challenged by schools and individuals for various reasons.  Sometimes these books trigger raw reactions in patrons, as it did in one of our patrons who is also the mother of a 9-year old.

This mother took offense that these books were on display in the teen section where her daughter was able to see them.  I could empathize with her and understand her concern.  Every parent has the right to protect his or her child and monitor the materials the child is reading.   

And speaking of rights, just as everyone has the right not to read something, everyone has the right to read something.  That is the whole purpose of Banned Books Week--to emphasize everyone's freedom to information and to read items of his or her choosing.  Unlike other nations, such as North Korea and China, that censor materials their citizens can read, we live in a country in which we can freely access all kinds of information.

Naturally, everyone is different and has different levels of sensitivity to various subjects.  Every library will most likely have materials that may be unsettling to some individuals.  However, it is not the duty of a library to act as a censoring board.  An American library's first and foremost responsibility is to provide information to everyone who seeks it regardless of who is doing the seeking or the library staff member's personal feelings about the information.  An American library is obligated to follow the Library Bill of Rights as developed by the American Library Association.

So when you visit your library this week and see those displays of challenged books, please don't take offense.  Be reminded that we live in a nation in which we're fortunate to read whatever we want without anyone stopping us from doing so.  And remember--you have the freedom not to read whatever you want as well.

Just my take from the perch.