Banned Books Week
Today marks the start of Banned Books Week which runs through October 1. Sponsored in part by the American Library Association, Banned Books Week takes place every year to celebrate the First Amendment (with a particular emphasis on freedom of choice in reading, of course) by spotlighting the books various groups and individuals have tried to have banned. For 2011, the sponsors are asking people to participate by posting videos to the Banned Books Week Virtual Read-Out YouTube channel. The videos should be either a reading from a banned/challenged book or an account about a local challenge to a book. More events for the week can be found on the official Banned Books website.
Banned Books Week started in 1982 when the American Society of Journalists and Authors decided something needed to be done to counteract the numerous schools and libraries removing books because of seemingly objectionable content. The group originally held a read-out on the steps of the New York Public Library as well as sold buttons and handed out pamphlets on censorship to make people aware of the cause, according to reports published at the time. The buttons are still sold today.
