Create a YouTube Video for Banned Books Week
RSSBy SLJ Staff
Librarians, bookstores, and others celebrating the freedom to read from September 21 to October 1 are encouraged to take part in this year's Virtual Read-Out on YouTube. The criteria are simple: create a video that's less than two minutes long of anyone reading a book that's been banned. If you choose to talk about a personal experience battling censorship, then feel free to extend the video to three minutes. If you're having trouble choosing a book, don't worry! The American Library Association (ALA) has a list of frequently challenged or banned books, including Stephenie Meyer's "Twlight" series and Little Red Riding Hood. Thousands are expected to speak out against and learn about censorship during Banned Books Week, which was first observed in 1982 and is sponsored by the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the Association of American Publishers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, the National Association of College Stores, the National Coalition Against Censorship, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the PEN American Center, with the endorsement of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Since 2001, ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom has received reports of more than 11,000 attempts to remove books deemed by some as "inappropriate" or "dangerous." Banned Books Week attempts to ensure that unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints are available for all who wish to read and access them. The books featured during this week have been targeted for attempted bannings. While some books were banned or restricted, in a majority of cases the books were not banned, thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, booksellers, and members of the community to retain the books in the library collections. This article originally appeared in the newsletter Extra Helping. Go here to subscribe. I love this opportunity! I'm against banning books and in favor of
teaching children to self-censor.
http://imaginationsoup.net/2011/08/self-censorship-better-than-
book-banning/ No books have been banned in the USA for about half a century. See
http://tinyurl.com/Sowell
Even the ALA's Judith Krug who created National Hogwash Week said:
"On rare occasion, we have situations where a piece of material is not
what it appears to be on the surface and the material is totally
inappropriate for a school library. In that case, yes, it is appropriate to
remove materials. If it doesn't fit your material selection policy, get it
out of there."
It is sad to see the School Library Journal become a propaganda
mouthpiece for the American Library Association. Can people from other countries join in or is it just the US please * = Required information
Help celebrate this year's Banned Books Week by uploading a YouTube video of you or your students reading a banned book.
Reader Comments (3)
Posted by Melissa Taylor on August 16, 2011 04:24:46PM
Posted by Dan Kleinman of SafeLibraries on August 17, 2011 11:48:53PM
Posted by Book Angel Emma on August 18, 2011 09:03:30AM
