September 6, 2018

Banned Books Week and the Freedom to Read for All Banned Books Week 2018 By Allison Floyd Banned Books week is an annual event celebrating our freedom Every year, typically during the last week of September, Banned Books to read, and bringing attention to the serious matters of censor- Week (September 23-29, 2018) shines the spotlight on championing ship, book challenges, and removing titles from library shelves. the freedom to read. What better time for school librarians and edu- https://bannedbooksweek.org/about/ cators to join forces to champion kids’ right to read? This right to read Library Bill of Rights is expressly provided for in Article Five of the American Library Associ- Adopted in 1939 by the American Library Association, the Library ation’s Library Bill of Rights, which states, “A person’s right to use a Bill of Rights policies that affirms libraries as institutions where all library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, back- Americans can access information and ideas, regardless of age, ground or views.” sex, origin, race, or walk of life. It is a foundational document of librarianship. School librarians can do their part to promote the equitable access to http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill reading materials for students by maintaining diverse and well- weeded collections, and by displaying these collections in a user- friendly and visually appealing manner. Teachers can facilitate class- room discussions about censorship and coordinate trips to the school library, exposing students to the wide and wonderful world of re- Challenge Accepted: sources at their fingertips. Check out the list of most frequently challenged books since Another powerful way in which teachers can work with librarians to 2001. It is surprising how often our right to read is in question. champion the right of minors to read may seem deceptively simple. Have you or your students read any of the challenged titles? While Lexile and AR scores can serve as a tool in determining appro- What are your thoughts on the reasons for the challenge? Do priate assigned reading in the classroom, recreational reading pro- you agree or disagree with the challenge? vides a wonderful opportunity for young readers to venture outside Take a look at the infographic labeled Challenges by Institution; their prescribed zones and take a chance on reading material that may it is clear that schools get the vast majority of book challenges. prove more challenging than their reading levels allow. Why is that? Where do the ideals of protecting children bump up against students’ right to read, and parents’ rights to supervise Alternatively, students may seize a valuable opportunity to rest, re- their own children’s reading habits? charge, and rediscover the joy of reading purely for its own sake, inde- Discuss. pendent of homework and book reports. By championing kids’ right to recreationally read the full breadth and depth of materials the library offers, sans the dictates of reading scores, teachers and librarians can serve as effective advocates for kids’ freedom to read. Are you constantly on the lookout for great reads for your students NoveList Plus K-8 Use this readers advisory tool to find fiction (or yourself)? NoveList Plus and NoveList Plus K-8 , freely available to and nonfiction reading materials based on all Idahoans on lili.org, have you covered (see Digital Tools). If you interest, genre, series, title, and author read want to get into the spirit of Banned Books Week and encourage your -alikes, award winners, and more! Choose students to read one of the top ten most-challenged books from 2001- from built-in appeal mixers or make your 2017, ALA has compiled lists—see Links to More Learning. own! Championing the right to read and cultivating critical thinkers go hand Find NoveList Plus K-8, and other great tools in hand. Librarians and teachers serve a crucial role in both. for educators at: http://lili.org/dbs/category/18

Low Hanging Fruit is available through school libraries, and made possible with support of the Idaho Commission for Libraries. For previous editions, go to http://libraries.idaho.gov/lowhangingfruit. Low Hanging Fruit is available through school libraries, and made possible with support of the Idaho Commission for Libraries. For previous editions, go to http://libraries.idaho.gov/lowhangingfruit.