CARBONDALE, IL—Southern Illinois University in Carbondale’s Special Collections Research Center is donating more than 500 books to the Morris Library in honor of Banned Book Week.
SCRC plans to hold a free public reception at 10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 23, in the library’s Hall of Presidents and Chancellors.
“The donation has become part of our McCoy First Amendment (Freedom of Speech, Religion, and the Press) collection, which began in the 1960s to support the right to read by preserving books that had been challenged or spoke to issues of disadvantaged groups,” said Anne Marie Hamilton-Brehm, associate dean for library affairs. “Along with challenged books ranging from adult to children’s literature, the collection preserves many volumes on health care. The donated books speak largely to the lived experience and issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community, women, African Americans, immigrants, and Native Americans.”
The books are available to the public by request to read at the SCRC from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
“We are very excited to see this collection of books have its home at the Special Collections Research Center, where it will be open to researchers of all backgrounds and experiences,” said Juniper Oxford, program coordinator with the LGBTQ Resource Center. “Many of the most commonly banned books across the nation are LGBTQ-related — which stifles our collective understanding of the most basic components of our beings. With such an effort to obliterate the diversity of history, we must make an effort to remember those voices. It is vital that we preserve and uphold a broader and more detailed vision of our collective history, told through a diverse multitude of perspectives.”
Banned Book Week 2024 runs from Sunday, Sept. 22 to Saturday, Sept. 28.
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