Library Blog

National Library Week!

Celebrate National Library Week April 4 - 8 with RWU Law Library. We Read Banned Books.

National Library Week is upon us! It is a time to celebrate the people who work in libraries and what libraries offer.  This year we celebrate from Monday April 4 to Friday April 8.  Library social media, emails from student groups, and signs in the library and on digital screens will provide more details on the following events: 

  • Tuesday, April 5: National Library Workers Day – say “thank you” to the student employees at the circulation desk
     
  • Wednesday, April 6th, 10:00am-2:00pm in the atrium: Lexis Digital Library Demonstrations
     
  • Wednesday, April 6th, 12:00-1:30pm in room 262: Cost Effective Research Training (Registration required - Lunch will be served)
     
  • Thursday April 7th, 12:00-1:00pm: Bloomberg Law Training (Registration required)

This year’s celebration highlights banned books! Banned books are books removed from library shelves for “inappropriate” content or because of the actions of an author. In the United States, books are usually banned in schools or public libraries for obscene language, sex scenes, or sometimes if the book contains aspects perceived to go against a religion, like the occult. The American Library Association collects data on banned and challenged books.  Each day we will focus on one commonly banned book--look to our social media sites for more information on each:

  • Monday, April 4: Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi 
     
  • Tuesday, April 5: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
     
  • Wednesday, April 6: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling 
     
  • Thursday, April 7: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
     
  • Friday, April 8: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Not only are banned books an interesting topic for libraries, but they also intersect with the law. There have been numerous court cases over banned books and the First Amendment. As of 3/30/2022, Utah (H.B. 374), Tennessee (H.B. 1944), and Florida (H.B. 1467) have passed bills to restrict access to books in schools. Missouri recently rescinded their decision to ban one of Toni Morrison’s books.

Every patron and every book is welcome here. Come celebrate with us! Be sure to attend our events and complete our Lexis question to be entered into raffles!

“Any book worth banning is a book worth reading.” – Isaac Asimov, author of I, Robot

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