Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Have you read a banned book today?

In addition to Read What You Want Week, I am also celebrating Banned Books Week. Banned Books Week runs from September 29 to October 6, and is near and dear to the heart of many a librarian. I should at this point speak eloquently and passionately to the importance of intellectual freedom, but others have covered this topic better than I can. Instead, I present to you the lighter side of book banning, brought to you from The Onion:

Nation's Teens Disappointed by Banned Books

If you want a more serious take on book banning, I recommend the following
ALA Banned Books Week - a feast of banned books information and ideas.
The Forbidden Library - a long list of banned and challenged books.
And Tango Makes Three - This was the most challenged book of 2006.



Monday, October 1, 2007

Read What You Want Week

I am making up "Read What You Want Week" to help keep myself sane and happy. With work, and the reading that I do for work, I sometimes feel guilty about 'frivolous' reading (defined loosely as anything with a plot not involving librarians) . So I'm reading what I want this week - YA and children's literature, fantasy, science fiction, mysteries, non-work-related blogs - the Pullman libraries and the web are my oysters. Though since I'm reading what I want, perhaps I'll say that the libraries are my dark chocolate truffles, instead.

While working with classes or with students at the reference desk, I find myself talking quite a lot about finding quality information and taking time to evaluate what's good and worthwhile and what isn't. So this essay serves as a refreshing reminder to me that another duty of someone who loves books is to encourage people to read anything they want.

So, I present to you Peter Dickinson's In Defense of Rubbish.