Celebrate Banned Books Week at Schaumburg library
Celebrate your freedom to read during Banned Books Week events in September at the Schaumburg Township District Library (STDL). Interactive programs, a book talk, logo design contest and more will be included in the upcoming activities.
"Why would anyone want to ban books?" you may ask. "Are they dangerous?"
"Yes, books are dangerous," said award-winning author Pete Hautman. "They should be dangerous - they contain ideas."
Hautman's anti-book-banning viewpoint is held by many readers, yet each year, approximately 300 books are challenged and more than 11,000 have been challenged since 1982, according to the American Library Association. A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials from certain facilities.
Like many libraries nationwide, STDL applauds each person's freedom to read, watch and listen to his or her own choices. During the annual Banned Book Week, the library invites others to join the celebration through programs, events and opportunities. So if you have dared to read banned or challenged books - such as "Harry Potter," "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," "The Call of the Wild," "Beloved," "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," or "The Red Badge of Courage," just to name a few - come and join the Banned Books Week festivities.
Begin by taking a few minutes to watch "The Freedom to Read," an informational documentary highlighting the history, background and concept of banned or challenged books and intellectual freedom in the United States. Produced by the library, the documentary features actress Julie Beal and will start airing in the Central Library lobby and at the Hoffman Estates and Hanover Park branches just prior to Banned Books Week, which begins Sunday, Sept. 27. It will also appear on social media and other outlets.
Those who prefer a more interactive way to learn are invited to join librarian Helen Stewart for "Fifty Shades of Banned Books" at 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 26, at Half Price Books, 1075 E. Golf Road, Schaumburg. Stewart will discuss the controversial and sometimes surprising selections of frequently challenged books and celebrate that, in the majority of cases, these books have remained available to readers.
Children ages 8-12 have their own Banned Book celebration with "Blackout Poetry" from 4-4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 29, in the Central Library Craft Room. Children will create artistic poems using recycled book pages, markers and their imagination. No registration is required for this free program - simply drop-in.
If you love social media, then jump into "Show Us Your Shelfie!" Log on to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and share a picture of yourself with your favorite book or your personal book collection. Use the hashtag #STDLshelfie for a chance to win a prize!
Is there an artistic side to you? If so, try your hand at designing next year's Banned Books logo. Adults and teens may enter the contest by creating a design, then uploading it on the library's website. Go to schaumburglibrary.org and click on "Banned Books Week Logo Design Contest," listed under "Current News." There you will see prompts for uploading your entry. The deadline to enter is midnight on Saturday, Oct. 3. The winner will receive a Kindle Fire, and the design will be used in next year's Banned Books promotion. For more information about the logo contest or Banned Books Week, visit the library's website.
"Banning books gives us silence when we need speech," said author Stephen Chbosky. "It closes our ears when we need to listen. It makes us blind when we need sight."