Libraries marking Banned Books Week

Strong language is the primary cause for a book being challenged. Next is a sexually explicit nature. Violence is also high on the list.

"Books are challenged for a variety of reasons. Typically it's done to protect the young reader," said Julia Jorgensen, librarian at Central High School in Cape Girardeau.

Jorgensen, like many librarians in Southeast Missouri, promotes the right to choose.

She is joining libraries across America this week to observe Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read. "The annual event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted," the American Library Association says on its website.

No book has been banned at either the Cape Girardeau or Jackson high schools or public libraries, their librarians said.

"I have never been asked to pull a book from the shelves. I have had discussions with parents about books that because of a family situation they don't want their child to read," Jorgensen said, using suicide as an example.

Sharon Anderson, youth services coordinator for the Cape Girardeau Public Library, said she sometimes receives requests from parents to move a book from the children's section to the young adult section.

To challenge a book, patrons are required to have read the book and list pages and sections with which they have objections. The board of directors makes a final decision.

At the Jackson Public Library, staff will notify parents about a book that may be questionable, said assistant librarian Sarah Gilliland, but she said she's not aware of a book ever being removed.

Anderson keeps a Reader's Bill of Rights in her office, written by author Daniel Pennac, which she said stresses choice. First on the list is the right not to read. Pennac also lists the right to read anything, the right to escapism and the right to not defend your tastes, among others.

"My theory is that a good library has something that could potentially upset all people. We serve a wide spectrum of people. We're a public library, so we need to have information available that runs the gamut from the extreme right to the extreme left and all the people in between," she said.

Both Jorgensen and Jackson High School librarian Danna Bruns set up a display about Banned Books Week. Their intent, they said, is to remind students about the freedom they have. Jorgensen has several books on display, including "Fahrenheit 451," that illustrate what can happen to a society when information is restricted.

"We want students to have the option to read books and make up their own mind," Bruns said.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123

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