HAPPY BANNED BOOKS WEEK!!
And just remember:
"A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone." ~Jo Godwin
Monday, September 29, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
So many reasons to celebrate...and whine...
So here we go...
We are currently celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month here at the library. Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15th, which is the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries--Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico declared its independence on September 16th, with Chile following on September 18th. The celebration continues through October 15th. I have put a display up in the library to celebrate, come on in and check it out!
And of course there's Banned Books Week coming up! (Like I'd let you forget...) As you already know, we have the censorship exhibit up from the Long Island Coalition Against Censorship. It really is an interesting exhibit, so please do come in and check it out. We will also be having an adult reading program that will be coinciding with this week called, "Elect to Read Banned Books." (Get it? We're trying to tie it all together with this year's election. Kinda the whole two birds with one stone thing...yeah, we're just that good.) This time around we will be having you read banned books and then filling out your slips for the drawing. And can I just say, the prizes are pretty darn cool...because I picked them out!
On another note, we are still having issues with the notification system. We are having to manually call and e-mail people who have items on hold. At this point, we are not sending out any overdue notices either. So watch those checkout slips, kids! Please continue to hang in there with us as we get this whole thing figured out. (And if we call you 17 times about holds, don't turn us in for harassment!)
Also, we have begun to charge fines again as of September 15th. So allow me to reiterate my first point...watch the checkout slips...or log into your account online to keep track of your due dates.
And finally, my allergies are killing me right now. So if I sneeze on you, my sincerest apologies!
We are currently celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month here at the library. Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15th, which is the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries--Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico declared its independence on September 16th, with Chile following on September 18th. The celebration continues through October 15th. I have put a display up in the library to celebrate, come on in and check it out!
And of course there's Banned Books Week coming up! (Like I'd let you forget...) As you already know, we have the censorship exhibit up from the Long Island Coalition Against Censorship. It really is an interesting exhibit, so please do come in and check it out. We will also be having an adult reading program that will be coinciding with this week called, "Elect to Read Banned Books." (Get it? We're trying to tie it all together with this year's election. Kinda the whole two birds with one stone thing...yeah, we're just that good.) This time around we will be having you read banned books and then filling out your slips for the drawing. And can I just say, the prizes are pretty darn cool...because I picked them out!
On another note, we are still having issues with the notification system. We are having to manually call and e-mail people who have items on hold. At this point, we are not sending out any overdue notices either. So watch those checkout slips, kids! Please continue to hang in there with us as we get this whole thing figured out. (And if we call you 17 times about holds, don't turn us in for harassment!)
Also, we have begun to charge fines again as of September 15th. So allow me to reiterate my first point...watch the checkout slips...or log into your account online to keep track of your due dates.
And finally, my allergies are killing me right now. So if I sneeze on you, my sincerest apologies!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Censorship in Schools and Libraries
We have an exhibit up in our library called "Censorship in Schools and Libraries". The exhibit is sponsored by the Long Island Coalition Against Censorship, which is an association of educational and community organizations that have joined together to oppose censorship and to defend the rights of free speech and free press as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The purpose of the exhibit is to bring awareness to the various types of censorship and all the challenges it has produced in schools and libraries. The exhibit features 34 illustrations and explanations on censorship.
We have put up this exhibit to coincide with Banned Books Week at the end of this month. Banned Books Week, celebrated every year by libraries around the country is meant to bring attention to books that have been challenged (their removal from school or library shelves was requested). According to the Office of Intellectual Freedom (a subdivision of the American Library Association) there were 420 reported challenges in 2007. It is often estimated that many more go undocumented every year.
As I have said before, this is probably one of my favorite weeks of the year. I love the whole idea behind Banned Books Week. But more importantly, I love the chance to educate the patrons I serve about an issue that I feel very strongly about. It continually amazes me that there are challenges to materials in libraries. It amazes me even more that sometimes those items get removed. Most often than not, the reason for the challenge is that someone is offended by the content or language used in a book. If I could make a list of everything in our library that offended me, it would be very long. No lie. It would. But I also know that if those books that I can't stand weren't here, I wouldn't have a job. That's the beauty in libraries...we support all ideas. No matter how controversial, unconventional, or ridiculous the idea might seem to some, we at libraries will do our best to protect it and provide access to it.
I would highly encourage all of you to come out and see the exhibit. It is very interesting and at times even a bit humorous and shocking. But it is an important lesson that needs to be taught, and I hope that you all will be willing to learn.
We have put up this exhibit to coincide with Banned Books Week at the end of this month. Banned Books Week, celebrated every year by libraries around the country is meant to bring attention to books that have been challenged (their removal from school or library shelves was requested). According to the Office of Intellectual Freedom (a subdivision of the American Library Association) there were 420 reported challenges in 2007. It is often estimated that many more go undocumented every year.
As I have said before, this is probably one of my favorite weeks of the year. I love the whole idea behind Banned Books Week. But more importantly, I love the chance to educate the patrons I serve about an issue that I feel very strongly about. It continually amazes me that there are challenges to materials in libraries. It amazes me even more that sometimes those items get removed. Most often than not, the reason for the challenge is that someone is offended by the content or language used in a book. If I could make a list of everything in our library that offended me, it would be very long. No lie. It would. But I also know that if those books that I can't stand weren't here, I wouldn't have a job. That's the beauty in libraries...we support all ideas. No matter how controversial, unconventional, or ridiculous the idea might seem to some, we at libraries will do our best to protect it and provide access to it.
I would highly encourage all of you to come out and see the exhibit. It is very interesting and at times even a bit humorous and shocking. But it is an important lesson that needs to be taught, and I hope that you all will be willing to learn.
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