WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — All week, the James V. Brown Library in Williamsport is shining the spotlight on banned books. Banned Books Week is a national annual event that the library has participated in for years.
"We joined the American Library Association, and we celebrate Banned Books Week, which is a week where we highlight and promote books that are undergoing challenges across the United States," said Dana Brigandi, the library's public relations director.
According to the Office for Intellectual Freedom, more than 2,500 school and library books were challenged and banned in 2022 alone. That is a record high. However, that number is expected to grow even higher this year.
"These banned books are challenged because they represent something different to another person, but that doesn't mean it is different to everyone," Brigandi said.
The library will have a number of these banned books on display. The library says many of these banned books are children's books.
"Judy Blume's 'Are You There God? It's me, Margaret'," added Brigandi. "'Captain Underpants' to books like 'Charlotte's Web'. I was so surprised to find 'Charlotte's Web' was on a banned book list because it deals with a sensitive topic like the death of a pet."
This year's banned book week theme is "Freedom to Read". The library in Williamsport hopes to show that these books are important to keep on shelves.
"We want to bring awareness to the books that people are challenging and so that we can help promote windows, doors, and mirrors. Windows open our eyes to and open us to a new world, mirrors reflect who we are and our experiences, and sliding glass doors that allow us to go in and out of those things," Brigandi stated.
Banned books will be on display at the James V. Brown Library through October 7th. Hundreds of other banned books can be found on the shelves throughout the library.
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