FReadom

#FReadom

This past year saw an unprecedented number of challenges to books. The American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom detailed the stream of challenges on their blog. 

The ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom is the same entity that sponsors the annual Banned Books Week, which brings light to ongoing efforts to restrict access to materials in school, public, and academic libraries by publishing a list of the year’s most challenged books. We featured a story on 2020’s most challenged books in the September Library Newsletter.

Typically, we would not write about the Office of Intellectual Freedom until the next Banned Book Week rolls around in September 2022, but we think it is important to highlight the ongoing efforts to restrict access to materials.

All these censorship efforts have empowered an army of FReadom Fighters – readers, librarians, teachers, students, and academics, who have launched a social media campaign highlighting attacks on the freedom to read. Follow them on Twitter at @FReadomFighters, and visit them at www.freadom.us.

So why does this matter to us? A quick perusal of Rep. Krause’s list shows that many of the works questioned are ones we have here in our collection. They include academic encyclopedias, award-winning children’s books, and a Pulitzer-Prize winning novel. Please, feel free to check out any of the items below. #FReadom. 

Race/Black Lives Matter Movement

Gender and Sexuality/LGBTQIA+

Misc. Literature/Reference Works

 

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