[Libs-Or] Shakespeare Books & Antiques closing

[Ross BETZER]

The Shakespeare Books & Antiques bookstore is closing, with the owner
citing low sales and stress from an Oregon Shakespeare Festival boycott as
reasons for her decision.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival had been boycotting the bookstore due to
objections over a banned books display in the bookstore's front window.
(Read about the original objection to the display in a 8/5/2016 article
from the Medford *Mail Tribune*, "OSF and bookstore at odds over banned
books display
<http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20160805/NEWS/160809755/0/SEARCH>.")

For more information about the bookstore's closure and the rationale behind
the decision, see "Shakespeare Books & Antiques to close, citing declining
sales, OSF boycott
<http://www.mailtribune.com/news/20160830/shakespeare-books-amp-antiques-to-close-citing-declining-sales-osf-boycott>"
from the 8/30/2016 *Mail Tribune*.

Clearly, it is important for libraries to continue to raise awareness and
lead discussions on censorship, banned and challenged books, and the
freedom to read. And a good time to do that is right around the corner
with Banned
Books Week <http://www.ala.org/bbooks/bannedbooksweek> taking place on
Sept. 25 - Oct. 1, 2016.

-Ross

*Ross Betzer*
Co-chair, Oregon Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee
Information Services Librarian, Multnomah County Library
503.988.5728
rossbk at multco.us
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/libs-or/attachments/20160901/c9a6e018/attachment.html>