Banned+Book+Week+Pathfinder

Banned Book Week Pathfinder Sept. 22-28, 2013 = = =media type="custom" key="23658972" align="left"=

==Banned Book Week was established in 1982 by the American Library Association as a way to remind all Americans to never take their democratic freedom to read for granted. As the Intellectual Freedom Manual (ALA, 7th edition) states:==

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//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 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.//====== This statement is based on [|the first amendment]. Libraries often face challenges to books on their shelves. Here is the [|Library Bill of Rights]. [|Judith Krug], the director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom, started the tradition of Banned Books Week.

This Pathfinder will provide an overview of the historical perspective on banning books and concerns for the future.

An Overview: The ALA website provides a good overview of the issue. Use the following links to find out about banned and challenged books.
=History of Banned Books= Probably the most prominent historical book burning occurred in Nazi Germany on [|May 10, 1933]
 * An Interview with the president of the American Library Association, Loraine Roy, about Banned Book Week
 * About Banned and Challenged Books
 * Terms and Definitions
 * Statistics on challenged books
 * Reasons for Book Challenges in the 21st Century
 * 2012 List of Most Challenged Books

This wasn't the first incident in history. Here is a timeline of book burnings in history

=Authors Talk about Censorship= Judy Bloom has written several books that have been challenged and in certain places banned from the shelves. Here Judy Bloom talks about her views on censorship.

Newberry Award Winner Susan Patron discusses the decision by some school librarians to ban her book, The Higher Power of Lucky.

Author Lauren Myracle speaks out about her experiences with book challenges and calls attention to censorship.

media type="custom" key="23659038" =Frequently Asked Questions About Book Banning.= This website from Occidental College provides answers to frequently asked questions about book banning.
 * What is banned books week?
 * What is the difference between a challenge and a banning?
 * Why are books challenged or banned?
 * Who is doing the banning?

**Banned Books Online** Banned Books Online is a special exhibit of censored or banned books. Provides an overview of the book and why it was banned

Wielding the Red Pen: "What is Your Definition of Censorship?" Created by the University of Virginia Library

Dangerous Pages Review: An index of banned and challenged books.

Marshall University Library: Provides links to most frequently challenged books, author links and title links

Huffington Post: Banned Books Week : Top 10 Most Challenged 2012