Baker County Library Champions “Let Freedom Read” During Banned Books Week
By Joe Hathaway on Thursday, October 5th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY – It’s Banned Books Week, and the Baker County Library District (BCLD) is shining the spotlight on titles that have generated controversy among educators and parents.
The theme for Banned Books Week this year – “Let Freedom Read.”
According to an email from Perry Stokes, Director of the BCLD: With challenges to First Amendment rights surging at record levels across the country, Baker County Library District is hosting a “Watch Party” on Thursday, Oct 5 at 6:00 PM of a webinar titled “Why Your Voice Matters – Even as Censorship Increases.” Following the program, Library Director will be available for discussion and questions.
The event will feature Kelly Jensen from Book Riot and John Chrastka from EveryLibrary. Speakers will talk about trends in threats to free expression, the tensions of public libraries serving families with different viewpoints in their community, and citizen efforts to defend vital Constitutional rights. The online program can be accessed from anywhere. Registration details are available on the library website, www.bakerlib.org .
According to the American Library Association, there has been a reported 695 attempts to censor library materials between January 1 and August 31—and while that’s up only slightly from the 681 documented attempts at this point last year, the number of unique titles challenged jumped an eye-opening 20%, with 1,915 targeted compared to 1,651 in 2022.
Stokes says he’s pleased that BCLD has not had any recent conflicts about materials in the libraries. “Our community is a strong supporter of Constitutional rights and most all recognize the library has a duty to serve everyone in a fair manner, including their neighbors with viewpoints and interests they dislike.” said Stokes.
Stokes did send Elkhorn Media Group a few complaints they have fielded the past two years:
- Book – Subject: Popular works critical of the transgender rights movement such as “What is a Woman”(2022) by Matt Walsh and “Irreversible Damage” (2020) by Abigail Shrier. Complainant told staff they felt the library should not be a platform for “hate speech” and that having such books in the collection made them feel unsafe to visit the library. Director had a verbal discussion with the patron.
- Book – Title: Children’s Picture Book “A is for Activist”(2013) by Innosanto Nagara. Complainant told staff they felt the subject matter was politically biased and not age-appropriate. Director mailed a response letter to the patron.
- Movie – Title: DVD “Female Trouble” (1974) directed by John Waters. The complainant told staff the film was in poor taste. Director had a verbal discussion with the patron.
“While public libraries are safe spaces physically, intellectually they are semi-wild forums for free expression,” said Stokes. “When titles become controversial on a regional or national stage, our patrons expect to find such items in the library so they can make up their own minds about them. “
With that in mind, the BCLD recommends children under 10 be accompanied by a parent or caregiver when visiting the library.
“It’s parents, after all, who are best positioned to determine what is appropriate for their own kids,” said Stokes. “Library staff respect that every family is special, and we are happy to help find materials that suit your specific needs using reviews and other readers’ advisory tools. If we don’t have something already, purchase requests are welcome.”
