Free to read: Banned Books Week a reminder

Libraries tell patrons attempts still made to remove books from shelves

BY SARAH CHOI Correspondent

BY SARAH CHOI
Correspondent

Books that have been challenged are on display at the Monmouth County Library Eastern Branch in Shrewsbury (above) and the Ocean Township Branch (below), reminding library patrons that there are still attempts to remove some books from library shelves.   Books that have been challenged are on display at the Monmouth County Library Eastern Branch in Shrewsbury (above) and the Ocean Township Branch (below), reminding library patrons that there are still attempts to remove some books from library shelves. When it comes to reading, there are as many different opinions about the contents of a book as there are readers. What one person thinks is perfectly acceptable for the shelf of a public library, another considers inappropriate.

“No matter how wonderful you think that a book is, someone else might have objections to it,” said Janet Cranis, head librarian at the Eastern Branch of the Monmouth County Library in Shrewsbury.

To underscore the fact that people should be free to read any book of their choice, the Monmouth County Library system observed Banned Books Week at its branches last week.

During Sept. 23-29, the branch libraries of Monmouth County, including the Ocean Township and Eastern Branch, participated in Banned Books Week.

PHOTOS BY SARAH CHOI PHOTOS BY SARAH CHOI Displays at each branch highlighted books that have actually been challenged by people who thought they were not fit to be on the library shelves.

Many of the titles surprised patrons who viewed the displays.

“The message is to think for yourself,” noted Judie Boim, librarian at the Ocean Township Library, emphasizing the significance of freedom of expression and making one’s own decisions.

According to the American Library Association (ALA), Banned Books Week has been celebrated annually during the last week of September since 1982.

Though most of the books highlighted were challenged and not banned, the week is still called Banned Books Week because a successful challenge to restrict material will inevitably result in a future banning, according to the ALA materials that accompanied the displays.

According to a press release from the Monmouth County Library, there were 405 known attempts to remove books from the shelves in 2005 and 70 percent of challenges occur in schools and school media centers.

Most objections originate from wanting to shield children from negative influences, such as inappropriate language and sexual content, according to the library association.

The ALA response to these concerns is that the only individuals who have a right to restrict what a child can read are parents. Censorship by anyone else, such as other librarians, would violate the First Amendment.

Books that have been challenged in the past include: “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” by J.K. Rowling; “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee; “A Light in the Attic,” by Shel Silverstein; “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” by Mark Twain; and “A Wrinkle in Time,” by Madeleine L’Engle.

Fortunately, the librarians at the Ocean Township and Eastern Branch libraries said they’ve never had a request to remove a book from their shelves.

The reactions of library patrons to Banned Books Week ranged from general curiosity to surprise and disbelief.

“People seem pretty incredulous that the books are banned. Or if they do understand the reason, they don’t think it’s compelling,” Boim said.

Actually, Cranis said people had been taking books from the Banned Books Week display set up at the Eastern Branch, which showed the obvious interest of readers in those books.

“Everyone should be free to read and think for themselves,” said Boim, reiterating the message of Banned Books Week.