Banned Book Week

From the American Library Association

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year. Observed since 1982, this annual ALA event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted. This year, 2008, marks BBW's 27th anniversary (September 27 through October 4).

BBW celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met.

BBW is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, American Library Association, American Society of Journalists and Authors, Association of American Publishers, National Association of College Stores, and is endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.

In 2007, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom received a total of 420 challenges. See the list of most frequently challenged books of 2007 here.

EDIT: The broken links have been fixed. Sorry about that! Also, Time.com has a feature up about the history of banned books. Check it out.

Contributed by Stephanie Bayless, Manuscripts Department.