Upholding Intellectual Freedom

Parklands-Turner Neighborhood Library will feature banned and challenged books during Banned Books Week from Sept. 22 to Sept. 28, 2013. 

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. It highlights the value of free and open access to information.  During this period librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers uphold those literature considered by some to be unorthodox or unpopular.

Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship, focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books. The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted with removal or restrictions in libraries and schools. While books have been and continue to be banned, part of the Banned Books Week celebration is the fact that, in a majority of cases, the books have remained available. This happens only thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, students, and community members who stand up and speak out for the freedom to read.

A selection of banned and challenged books are available for immediate checkout at the Parklands-Turner Service Desk.  Lists of frequently challenged and banned titles can be found on the American Library Association website.

Be sure to catch screenings of movies listed below:

• Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m., To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Saturday, Sept. 28 at 11 a.m., The Color Purple by Alice Walker

For more information, please call 202-645-4532.