A Celebration of the Freedom to Read

A Celebration of the Freedom to Read

Bay Area poets and literary advocates join together against banning books


San Francisco – September 20 marks the beginning of Banned Books Week, a tribute to literary works of all types. First observed in 1982, Banned Books Week continues to celebrate the freedom to read. This year, however, as libraries are confronted with ongoing privacy and access challenges posed by the USA Patriot Act and Internet filtering systems, it seems fitting to raise awareness about the censorship threats facing libraries, schools, bookstores and other book institutions.



“Banned Books Week reminds us of our great democratic freedoms and the rich diversity available in reading materials,” said Susan Hildreth, San Francisco City Librarian. “What may seem inappropriate to one reader might be enlightening to another and vice versa; that’s why it is so important not to limit the public’s access to materials.” Some popular books which have been banned or restricted include Of Mice and Men, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Harry Potter, Catcher in the Rye, the Bible, Canterbury Tales and the Goosebumps series.



The American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom has recorded more than 7,000 book challenges since 1990. A “challenge” is defined as a formal written complaint filed with a library, school or book institution about a book’s content.

It is estimated that less than one-quarter of all challenges are reported and recorded.



To commemorate the freedom to read, the San Francisco Public Library in association with the California Center for the Book, is hosting a reading event in the Main Library’s Koret Auditorium, located at 100 Larkin Street on Thursday, September 25 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Oscar Villalon, San Francisco Chronicle Book Review editor, will emcee the event, while devorah major, San Francisco Poet Laureate, Susan Hildreth, City Librarian, Nancy Peters, co-owner of City Lights Bookstore, and other local authors and poets read excerpts from their favorite banned books. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact 415-557-4277 or visit http://www.sfpl.org.



###