[Libs-Or] Tuesday Topic: Freedom to Read in Oregon

[Garnetta Wilker]

*Tuesday Topic Information Project: *

*Intellectual Freedom Committee*
​Welcome to the first installment in a monthly series covering topics with
intellectual freedom implications for libraries of all types.  Each message
is prepared by a member of OLA’s Intellectual Freedom Committee.  Look for
our message on a Tuesday each month of the academic year except
December.  Questions
can be directed to the IF Committee member who sent the message or to one
of the co-chairs of the IFC
<http://www.olaweb.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=159>.



*Celebrate Your Freedom to Read in **Oregon**!*



The Banned Books Week official celebration begins September 21 and lasts
until September 27, 2014.  This annual celebration has become well-known in
Oregon and participation includes many libraries of all types, including
academic, public and school libraries. The Oregon Library Association
partners with ACLU Oregon <http://www.aclu-or.org/bannedbooks> for the
Banned Books Week celebration. The ACLU Oregon website includes good
answers to help explain “banned and challenged” books and the reasons
materials are challenged. For a number of years, a generous anonymous donor
to the ACLU has been funding the cost of the ever popular “*I Read Banned
Books*” buttons distributed to participating bookstores and libraries.



Libraries find many ways to participate in the celebration and get their
patrons involved in thinking about their freedom to read.  Displays of
banned and challenged books and community conversations are popular events.
Looking for more ideas and support for your celebration?  Visit the American
Library Association <http://www.ala.org/bbooks/bannedbooksweek> website and
the Oregon Intellectual Freedom Clearinghouse
<http://www.oregon.gov/osl/LD/Pages/intellectual.aspx>.



Once you’ve become involved with the celebration, it’s a good time to make
sure that your library’s policies and practices are in order to protect the
right to read.  Consider a review of your selection policies, challenge
procedures, and staff training activities. Knowing what to do in the event
of a challenge is something that all library staff members should know.  If
you are in a school library, include your school administrators and office
staff in the group that needs to know.



If you find that your selection policy needs some updating or that your
challenge procedures are unclear, we have materials to help. Resources
relating to all of these can be found on our *Intellectual Freedom Toolkit
<http://www.olaweb.org/intellectual-freedom-toolkit>* *page.  Look under
the topics Challenges, Collection Development and Training.  The
Intellectual Freedom Committee is also available to respond to your
questions about these topics.*



*For a historical perspective, have you seen the *searchable database of
news articles relating to book challenges in Oregon?  Find it at *Intellectual
Freedom Issues in Oregon: A News Database
<http://commons.pacificu.edu/iforegon/>.  *



Finally, if you are looking for a good place to share Banned Books Week
thoughts, visit our Facebook page and *Celebrate the Freedom to Read in
Oregon <https://www.facebook.com/OregonReadsBannedBooks>*,






​

><((((º>·´¯`·.¸ .·´¯`·.. ><((((º>¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º>·´¯`·.¸
Garnetta Wilker
Co-chair, Intellectual Freedom Committee, Oregon Library Association
K-12 Representative, Oregon Statewide Database Licensing Advisory Committee
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