Posted on September 25, 2018 at 7:56 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Looking for ways to celebrate Banned Books Week, which began Sunday? The American Library Association has some suggestions!

Readers can participate in the Office for Intellectual Freedom’s Virtual Read-out, by filming themselves reading from their favorite banned books.

The ALA will feature these videos on its Banned Books Week YouTube channel — head here for phrases and tags to include and how to submit them.

Camera-shy readers may want to consider the Dear Banned Author program instead.

In addition to sending thank-you notes to the authors of banned books, they’re also welcome to thank librarians, educators, and banned-book readers for their efforts to fight censorship.

Templates, addresses of frequently challenged authors, and more can be found here.

Of course, librarians and bookstore owners have the platform to build displays on banned books — the ALA has visual inspiration here as well.

Beyond, of course, reading a banned book or two, you can participate by writing a letter to the editor (or reaching out to the media in another way), performing a play on the freedom to read, using the hashtag #bannedbooksweek across social media, and proclaiming Banned Books Week at your local library.

(If you need reading inspiration, check out the ALA’s archives of most-challenged books by decade and year.)

And if you want to run your own banned book program — maybe not this year, unless you’re ambitious and available — the ALA has a list of resources ... including a Pinterest board. 

Banned Books Week began in 1982, bringing together a number of organizations to publicly support “the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular," according to the ALA website.

Categories: Today in Books

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