Every year at the end of September, libraries, bookstores and other reading aficionados celebrate our freedom to read during Banned Books Week. According to the American Library Association, a challenge to a book is “an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials.”
In Oregon, the Intellectual Freedom Clearinghouse collects data on challenges and bannings in the state. For 2014-2015, there were 14 challenges to books, magazines, sound recordings and videos in public and school libraries, only one of which resulted in material being removed from shelves. Some of the more frequently challenged books since the OIF started collecting data in 1988 include Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz, In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak, Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden. Check out the full list here.
Want to learn more about the legal background of banned books? Check out the ALA’s list of notable First Amendment court cases, or stop by SOLL to peruse our resources on censorship and freedom of speech.
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