For this year's Banned Books week a virtual read-out of banned and challenged books is being held.  Authors like Judy Blume, Sarah Dessen, Chris Crutcher, Laruen Myracle, and Paolo Bacigalupi are contributing videos in support of Banned Books Week.  I've embedded the video of one of my favorite authors, Andrea Davis Pinkney below:

They are also putting out the call for everyone else to join in.  The details for contributing are on their site. It's easy--just film a video of yourself reading from a banned or challenged book and keep it under two minutes.  In fact, it's so easy Tessa and I made our own:

So lend your voice to Virtual Read-Out in support of Banned Books Week and make your own video today!

    This week we are celebrating Banned Books Week.  Every year during the last week in September librarians, book sellers, and others all over America highlight issues of censorship and reaffirm our commitment to fight for intellectual freedom.
This fight happens on many fronts--at home the Kids’ Right to Read Project fights challenges made against books and promote kids’ freedom to read.  The American Library Association keeps track of book challenges and has lists of frequently challenged books available.  According to their calculations the most frequently challenged and banned book from the last decade is the Harry Potter series, which is often challenged by groups who are afraid it will promote witchcraft to children. Cases of book challenges are also mapped in an interactive map online, which you can view to see what books are being challenged where.
   

In America the first amendment protects authors so that even if their books are banned from certain places, the authors remain free.  This is not the case in all countries, however. Each year during Banned Books Week, Amnesty International highlights stories of individuals who have been persecuted for their writings.  On their website you can find their stories and download petitions and postcards to help them.  Amnesty also keeps track of ways that data are being censored and has interactive maps that highlight online censorship globally.

    A common reaction we hear this week is “That book was banned...but I love that book!” So this week we ask you what is your favorite banned book?  How might your life be different if you had never been able to read it?

Welcome to the LRC's blog, where we will post information about new materials in the library, helpful websites we've discovered, staff picks, book events, and updates of what's happening in the building.  For more updates, check out our twitter @mcdslrc