NEW YORK : Cindy Hohl, the president of the American Library Association, named her daughter Charlotte after Charlotte’s Web, the beloved classic children’s book by E.B. White that she said is one of her favorites.
It’s also a banned book in many states and local districts — mainly due to the fact that the characters are talking animals.
It’s a common theme across America where books ranging from classic literature to the dictionary are being challenged by parents and government officials as unfit for children to have access to in their libraries. A challenge is defined as any demand to remove a book from a library shelf. A ban is when the action is taken to remove that book and make it unavailable to its intended audience.
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In response to this issue, the ALA and Brooklyn Public Library are hosting an event on Saturday called the Freedom to Read Day of Action, dedicated to celebrating and honoring the freedom and constitutional right to read. The Brooklyn Public Library will be holding its rally at the plaza in front of its central library.
This is the second annual Freedom to Read Day of Action event calling on people to show up in their communities to unite libraries and elevate the voices of readers nationwide.
October 19 itself doesn’t have much significance, other than its proximity to November and the election, said Brooklyn Public Library president and CEO Linda Johnson. Part of the library’s messaging is reminding readers that there’s still time to register to vote, in New York and in other states.
“We firmly believe that strong communities have strong libraries. The day of action is to help promote the value of libraries in your community and that they’re safe spaces for everyone,” Hohl said. “We want to make sure that as we continue to celebrate and uplift community hubs of information, that the library is always going to be centered in communities.”
Between January 1 and August 31, ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 414 attempts to censor library materials and services this year alone. In those cases, 1,128 unique titles were challenged.
It’s a decrease from the same reporting period in 2023, that saw 695 attempts with 1,915 unique titles challenged, yet the number of documented attempts to censor books continues to far exceed the numbers prior to 2020.
The persistent push back is why organizations such as the ALA and its counterparts – the Association for Rural and Small Libraries, Brooklyn Public Library, The New York Public Library, Queens Public Library and Unite Against Book Bans – in collaboration with libraries and advocates nationwide have doubled down on campaigns fighting against banned books and challenges, while moving more in the direction of promoting Americans’ right and freedom to read.
Book bans have become increasingly political in recent years, Johsnon explained, with politicians weighing in on the issue or pushing challenges or legislation against libraries and schools themselves.
In December 2023, Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) specifically called out the opposing party for focusing on banning books in school, rather than important educational issues. He wrote in a post on X, “We’re not banning books.”
The interview clip gained traction again this year, following his appointment as Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential running mate.
We’re not banning books; we’re banishing hunger. It’s that simple. https://t.co/levaRY5EUZ
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) December 7, 2023
“[Banned books] have been mentioned more in this cycle than last,” Johnson said. “I’m hearing more candidates make banned books and the right to read an issue for their platforms. There is still, in many places, a lack of awareness, which contributes to the power of people who are trying to limit.”
There’s a distinction between banned books and the freedom to read that the BPL and ALA are looking to hone in on for this year’s day of action, she added.
The American Library Association similarly launched a designated national day of action in 2023 called Right to Read Day, marking a year since it launched Unite Against Book Bans, a campaign to protect libraries and the freedom to read amid a wave of book challenges and bans across the country.
Banned Books Week in late September was also focused on banned books. But Freedom to Read Day of Action is a separate initiative intended to center around civic engagement.
Ahead of Saturday’s activation, BPL and ALA have called on people to sign the Freedom to Read pledge, share campaign assets through their social media toolkit and locate or organize an event in their community.
The official day of action page is accessible through Unite Against Book Bans’ website.
A lot of confusion still exists around banned books and Banned Books Week, Hohl said. For people who see banned titles in their local libraries or know a banned book is available to purchase online, they don’t understand what the terminology means in this context.
“We’ve always wanted to frame that this is an opportunity for us to celebrate a right to read,” Hohl said, noting that Banned Books Week has been branded as such for over 40 years. “As we continue to look at how we may be moving in a new direction, I would certainly encourage communities to talk about the positives, to talk about access and talk about how that’s good for everyone.”
The ALA has an in-house communications and marketing department that oversees campaigns such as Unite Against Book Ban as well as the planning and production around the Freedom to Ready Day of Action.
BerlinRosen, who worked with the BPL on its Books Unbanned Initiative, is also supporting the press and logistics of Saturday’s event.
As part of the day of action, participating organizations are hosting over 100 events in 43 states.
Access has become a central focus of the movement, Hohl said, highlighting small and rural communities where access to information or even the internet isn’t readily available to young readers. Yet those areas are seeing library closures as a result of harmful, adverse actions targeting the institutions and their collections.
In some states, language threatening to incarcerate librarians or fining a local library for providing readers with access to books is pushing people away from the craft.
“We felt so strongly that limiting access to material about LGBTQ issues or about racism or even history was limiting people’s worlds,” Johnson said. “That was the initial motivator and that’s still at the core of what we’re doing, but if we don’t reach broader audiences, we’re not going to raise awareness enough for people to make a difference. The way they make a difference is by going to the polls.”
On a local scale, the Brooklyn Public Library is also supporting intellectual teen councils in the borough who work with counterparts to request access to collections, host book clubs and teach teens in other states how to advocate for themselves. That work will continue through the election and beyond, Johnson said.
“As you look at public policy and all the different language that is being, perhaps, controlled state by state, it’s important that readers understand their rights,” Hohl seconded. “Sometimes the best way of elevating your voice is to make sure that you’re placing a vote.”
A free society begins with reading, she added, underscoring that librarians are parents, voters, taxpayers and constituents too. If exercising that right means registering to vote at your local library, the ALA is here to support that, she said.
This post was originally published on here
