The fREADom to Read What we Want! It's Banned Books Week!

The American Library Association has declared the last week of September as Banned Books Week. This started in 1982 and brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.

So what does that mean for the 181 Library? Many of the lists of challenged and banned books (found HERE on the ALA website) include a lot of the books in our collection. Some titles that are on the challenged/banned lists that are popular in our library are:

• Looking for Alaska by John Green
• Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
• The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
• Lord of the Flies by William Golding
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
• ...and many more!

Again, the complete lists of all challenged and banned books can be found on the ALA Website. The 181 Library not only still carries these titles but celebrates the freedom to read.

So come in and check out the display to see more banned titles and to get more information on Banned Books Week!

 

Welcome Back Everyone!

So what's been going on in the library since the beginning of the school year? With all the global issues and crises in the news, the students and faculty have focused their attention internationally.

To celebrate the wonderful diversity present and driving our school, the library is currently displaying books about other countries and written by people from other countries. In the Middle School Nook there is a bulletin board map of the world with different book suggestions stemming out from different countries across the globe. Check it out:

In the hallway right outside of the library, another bulletin board with the theme of Global Reading displays a globe with the words, "One World, Many Stories" which encapsulates the curren theme of the library. It also has a section in which you ca learn how to say "Read" in different languages!

Around the rest of the library are books chosen for their international diversity. Take a look and see if you can recognize some of the titles and countries they represent:

So come on in to the 181 Library and "Read Your Way Across the World!"