Monday, Sept. 22 through Friday, Sept. 26

Greetings provocateurs, creative minds, and proponents of free-speech —


Every year, we join forces during Banned Books Week to celebrate the importance of the First Amendment and raise awareness of the ongoing dangers posed by censorship. Many of the books you love and have read for class are “banned” and have been removed from libraries and classrooms across the US. Books are “banned” or restricted when a person or group deems them “objectionable,” for reasons like profanity, sexuality, and other topics that are considered “unpopular” or even “unorthodox.” 

We invite you to raise awareness and appreciate your freedom to read this week. Check out our display on the first-floor featuring a number of banned books from our collection. We bet you’ll be surprised by some of the titles you see there! Discuss censorship and show your support by picking up a button or bookmark when you stop by the library. 

Frequently banned & challenged titles to explore…


GoodReads, Banned Books: Lists of banned books compiled by and tagged as “banned” by readers. Lots of provocative and controversial books inside!


American Library Association, Frequently Challenged Books of the 21st Century: “Each year, the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom compiles a list of the top ten most frequently challenged books in order to inform the public about censorship in libraries and schools. The ALA condemns censorship and works to ensure free access to information.”