Libraries celebrate banned books
American Civil Liberties Union will moderate readings at area locations
Brian Reisinger
Issue date: 9/26/05 Section: Campus News
"The Crucible." "A Handmaid's Tale." "The Chocolate War." "To Kill a Mockingbird." "The Holy Bible." "Webster's Dictionary."
While this may seem like a fairly diverse list of books, they all have one thing in common: at one time or another, by one group or another, they have been banned or challenged as inappropriate.
"When you start looking at the banned books and why they were banned, that's the really interesting part," said Shelly Grokowski of Borders Books Music & Cafe, 4030 Commonwealth Ave.
That's why Borders, the L.E. Phillips Memorial Library, 400 Eau Claire Street; the Altoona Public Library, 1303 Lynn Ave., Altoona, and the American Civil Liberties Union are partnering to observe Banned Books Week, which began Saturday and continues through Oct. 1.
With a member of the ACLU moderating, each venue plans to hold a public reading of various books that are now or were once banned, an exercise UW-Eau Claire English professors say benefits society by provoking thought and discussion and reminding people of First Amendment rights.
"Some of the books that have been banned over the years have been banned due to dominant values that have perhaps since changed," said David Shih, associate professor of English. "We should always be vigilant when people are wanting to ban books."
Banned Books Week began in 1982, according to a press release. The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom still receives hundreds of reports annually documenting the banning or challenging of books.
Shih said it's important to look at why certain groups would want to ban a book and decide whether those values really correlate with dominant values or simply those of a "vocal minority."
While this may seem like a fairly diverse list of books, they all have one thing in common: at one time or another, by one group or another, they have been banned or challenged as inappropriate.
| Readings of banned or challenged books * L.E. Phillips Memorial Library: 7 p.m. Monday * Altoona Public Library: 7 p.m. Tuesday * Borders Books, Music & Cafe: 7 p.m. Thursday |
"When you start looking at the banned books and why they were banned, that's the really interesting part," said Shelly Grokowski of Borders Books Music & Cafe, 4030 Commonwealth Ave.
That's why Borders, the L.E. Phillips Memorial Library, 400 Eau Claire Street; the Altoona Public Library, 1303 Lynn Ave., Altoona, and the American Civil Liberties Union are partnering to observe Banned Books Week, which began Saturday and continues through Oct. 1.
With a member of the ACLU moderating, each venue plans to hold a public reading of various books that are now or were once banned, an exercise UW-Eau Claire English professors say benefits society by provoking thought and discussion and reminding people of First Amendment rights.
"Some of the books that have been banned over the years have been banned due to dominant values that have perhaps since changed," said David Shih, associate professor of English. "We should always be vigilant when people are wanting to ban books."
Banned Books Week began in 1982, according to a press release. The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom still receives hundreds of reports annually documenting the banning or challenging of books.
Shih said it's important to look at why certain groups would want to ban a book and decide whether those values really correlate with dominant values or simply those of a "vocal minority."
