Celebrate the Freedom to Read, and Take Our Redesign Challenge
National Banned Books Week is Sept., 18-24, which highlights the benefits of free and open access to information and the importance of the First Amendment.
Where censorship creates barriers, books reach across boundaries and build connections between readers. Banned Books Week, led by the American Library Association, is a reminder of the unifying power of stories, the divisiveness of censorship, and a call to action for readers across the country to push against censorship attempts in their communities.
The Springfield-Greene County Library does not ban books, believing that libraries exist to provide ideas and information for all who wish to read and access them; even if those ideas might be considered unorthodox or unpopular.
Libraries across the country recognize this week in many ways. As a way to highlight important literature, seven Springfield-Greene County Library staff members created small-scale works of art inspired by a book that has been targeted for removal or restricted in libraries and schools across the country.
These seven works were printed as trading cards, with details about the book, why it was banned/challenged, and the artist’s statement. The cards will be available for free during Banned Books Week, Sept. 18-24, at many of the 10 library branches, and featured on the Library website, thelibrary.org, Facebook and other social media sites.
Libraries will also feature displays of banned/challenged books to explore, and the American Library Association’s list of most frequently challenged books.
Now it’s your turn. Join our Design-A-Banned-Book Challenge
Is there a banned or challenged book that inspires you? If you could redesign the cover, what would it look like?
Exercise your creative muscle for Banned Books Week and redesign the cover of a banned or challenged book. (Please keep it clean!) Need ideas? Pick up a copy of the American Library Association’s most frequently challenged books from the past three decades from any library branch or the Mobile Library.
Drop off your design at any branch, and we may share it on the Library’s social media channels. Send your submission to cr@thelibrary.org. The library artists will choose one submission to receive a $20 gift card.
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