Banned Books!

Did you know that Missoula Public Library is full of (gasp) banned books?



Now that I've got your attention, I'd like to let you know that Banned Books Week is September 29th - October 6th. What is Banned Books Week, you may ask? It is a celebration of our democratic freedom to read whatever we choose, first observed by the American Library Association in 1982.

Some of the staff here at the Missoula Public Library are stout defenders of intellectual freedom. Karen, one of our children's librarians, is particularly well-known as a freedom fighter. She will be presenting a program on censorship (including recent attempts to ban books right here in Montana) on Monday, October 1st at 7:00pm in the large meeting room.

Now, perhaps you're asking yourself: "Why should I care about banned books? It doesn't have anything to do with me." Don't be so sure about that. I'm willing to bet that if you go to the ALA Banned Books website, you could find a book you enjoy that has been challenged or banned somewhere. Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself. Or come in and see the displays we've put up at the library. Or talk to Karen, she's always willing to chat about censorship.



Here's food for thought:
Did you know that the Harry Potter series is one of the most challenged series in recent times? Can you imagine if those books disappeared from our shelves forever?