Banned Books Week
Sept. 23 - 30, 2006

Celebrate your freedom to read!

"Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read" is observed during the last week of September each year. This annual event of the American Library Association reminds readers and library users everywhere to hold this precious democratic freedom dear. The year 2006 marks the 25th anniversary of Banned Books Week!

Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular. It stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. As the Intellectual Freedom Manual (ALA, 7th edition) states:

Intellectual freedom can exist only where two essential conditions are met: first, that all individuals have the right to hold any belief on any subject and to convey their ideas in any form they deem appropriate; and second, that society makes an equal commitment to the right of unrestricted access to information and ideas regardless of the communication medium used, the content of the work, and the viewpoints of both the author and receiver of information. Freedom to express oneself through a chosen mode of communication, including the Internet, becomes virtually meaningless if access to that information is not protected. Intellectual freedom implies a circle, and that circle is broken if either freedom of expression or access to ideas is stifled.

Read a banned book!

Check out the "Ten Most Challenged Books of 2005" on the right. Click on a title to request a copy of the book through OSCAR or LINK+. And celebrate your freedom to read!

For more information about banned books and Banned Books Week, check out this descriptive list of banned books created by ALA and Google Books, or click the Banned Books Week image at the top right of this page to visit the official ALA Banned Books Week website.