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August 23, 2012 by Karen Jensen, MLS

Banned Books Week Roundup: Read In, Speak Out for Libraries!

August 23, 2012 by Karen Jensen, MLS   Leave a Comment

You may have noticed, but it’s election season.  And back to school time. Which means it is also time to start thinking about Banned Books Week.

Banned Books Week at ALA
You can get information and graphics for Banned Books Week at ALA

Banned Books Week is a reminder to us all to celebrate our freedom to read.  Access to information – to new thoughts and ideas, no matter how radical they may be – is the cornerstone of democracy.  And yet every year, we hear case after case of someome attempting to (and sometimes succeeding) remove that access by having materials removed from school and public libraries across the nation.  Without the materials in libraries, that means our patrons have to find ways to access the information themselves, often costing money they don’t have, especially in these hard economic times.

I took a moment to look at what it would cost our teens to buy the books they want and need for both pleasure reading and school, and this is what I came up with as a modest estimate.

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So if our teens didn’t have access to books at their school and public libraries, they would have to come up with an average of $1,218.63 to buy 4 of the most popular book series (Harry Potter, the Hunger Games, Twilight and The Mortal Instruments) and an average of 4 books a month for school.  Keep in mind, this figure would be significantly higher if any of those 4 books a month for school are non-fiction because non-fiction titles have a higher price point.
 
 
This is why libraries are so important – they support the educational goals, both academic and personal, of all the members of our communities, including our teens.  But removing books from the library compromises that access.
 
 
Banned Books Week is an excellent time to remind teens – and your communities – about the importance of reading and libraries.  Remind your communities to vote for libraries! And the best way to cast your vote is by being a library user and supporter.
 
Looking for some ways to promote Banned Books Week this year? Check out these previous articles:
A Banned Books Week Primer

Banned Books Week: Teen fiction is . . .
Redefining the “3 Rs” for Banned Books Week (Radical, Rebellious, Righteous)

 
Also, here’s a look at a recent incident involving the book Pretty Amy by Lisa Burstein and another way in which teens are denied access to information.  Recently, a major teen magazine decided to pull its review of Pretty Amy because they felt it was inappropriate for their audience.  They didn’t let teens decide for themselves by presenting an honest review, they simply refused to review it.

What if Amy wasn’t pretty: A tale of censorship
Let’s Talk Access! And why libraries are radically unsafe places and that is a good thing
Amy speaks: Pretty Amy’s censorship uncensored (a guest post by Lisa Burstein)

 
Banned Books Week is an excellent time to brush up on your advocacy and marketing efforts, so stop by our section on Advocacy and Marketing and read all about it.
 
How about some posters and bookmarks?  Yeah, we’ve got those to.  You can find some at the TLT Graphics section of our FB page or find some that I designed for frequently challenged author Chris Crutcher last year.
 
Want one final – and exciting – way to speak out about Banned Books Week?  Join our BBW “Read In” and share a guest blog post about a book from the BBW list that you love.  Simply send me your review, or story, at kjensenmls@yahoo.com by Friday, September 28th.  Join us during Banned Books Week for a guest post by Lisa Burstein, author of Pretty Amy, books reviews and more.
 
 
You can get official information for Banned Books Week at BannedBooksWeek.org
Redefining the 3 Rs for Banned Books Week

Filed under: Advocacy, Banned Books Week, Censorship, Marketing

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About Karen Jensen, MLS

Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).

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