Celebrate the Right to Read

Banned Books Week has come and gone. But our Banned Books Display will remain up for the rest of this month. We think it's important to remember what can happen when communities stop celebrating their right to read.

Of course, at the Pacific Grove Public Library, reading is continually celebrated: in our 100 year old Reading Room where adults are absorbed in the latest issues of magazines and newspapers; during story times in the Children's Room; at special events like our Meet the Author series; and wherever someone is sitting at a table or study carrel.

Banning books is not a thing of the past. Every year old and new titles - some as non-threatening as the dictionary - are challenged. Frequently banned books include those on this list from The American Library Association. But there are some surprises too, such as some of those listed in this article by Pam Gaulin of the Associated News.

Next year, during Banned Books Week, we'd like to host a Banned Book Reading - where you can read a page or two from your favorite banned book. Meanwhile, celebrate your right to read whatever you want. Stop by and pick up a book of your choice.

Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Library Association, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the Association of American Publishers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the National Association of College Stores. Banned Books Week is also endorsed by the Center for the Book of the Library of Congress.