Dayton Metro Library Banned Books Week
Dayton Metro Library commemorates Banned Books Week, September 27-October 3, with several unique events.
Dayton Metro Library Banned Books Week
A parent recently made national news by seeking the removal of the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks from Knox County schools in Tennessee. The nonfiction bestseller, published in 2010, addresses issues of medical history, ethics and racial inequality. Her son was given alternate reading, but the parent plans to continue her quest to remove the text from all Knox County schools, "because I just feel that strongly about it being out of the hands of our children," she said.
Each year during the last week of September, libraries, booksellers, publishers, writers and readers commemorate National Banned Books Week by focusing attention on efforts to ban or challenge books, and raising awareness about the importance of free access to information.
“Public libraries are historically strong proponents of intellectual freedom,” said Jean Gaffney, Acquisition and Collection Development Manager for the Dayton Metro Library. “The American Library Association incorporated it into a Library Bill of Rights back in 1939. It’s our responsibility to inform, inspire and enrich in an unbiased and uncensored manner.”
This year, the Dayton Metro Library commemorates Banned Books Week, September 27-October 3, with several unique events:
EAST BRANCH LIBRARY BANNED BOOKS READ-IN – September 28-October 3, all open hours at East Branch Library, 2008 Wyoming Street, Dayton.
Community leaders, Library staff and patrons read from banned or challenged books continuously during all Library hours. Live webcast all week at DaytonMetroLibrary.org. Participants include:
- Congressman Bill Beagle
- author Kathleen Taylor
- television personality Jim Bucher
- WYSO’s Juliet Fromholt
- WDPR’s Shaun Yu
BANNED BOOKS CELEBRITY JEOPARDY – Monday, September 28, 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, Caryl D. Phillips Space Theater. A fun, friendly, fierce competition about censorship issues and general trivia too. Match wits with
- Authors Katrina Kittle and Trudy Krisher
- Dayton Daily News editor Ron Rollins
- Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra music director Neal Gittleman
- Michael Lippert of Muse Machine
- Crystal Perkins of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.
BANNED BOOKS: ONE WRITER’S EXPERIENCE – Thursday, October 1, 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Electra C. Doren Branch Library, 701 Troy Street, Dayton.
Author Trudy Krisher talks about the history of banned or challenged books, and shares the story of her own book, Spite Fences, which was challenged at a school in Vermont.
All events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit Dayton MetroLibrary.org or call (937) 463-BOOK.
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