Freedom to Read Week
February 18-24 is Freedom to Read Week. This is an annual event that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom. In 2024, Freedom to Read Week will celebrate its 40th anniversary, representing 40 years of dedication to freedom of expression, a fundamental right of all Canadians. Freedom to Read Week, which annually raises awareness about censorship and access to books and magazines, has become a nationwide campaign uniting readers, writers, publishers, schools, libraries, bookstores, universities, colleges, and other organizations across Canada.
The Canadian government guarantees freedom of speech and of the press within “reasonable limits” in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It is quite rare for Canada to ban books domestically, outside of wartime. The Criminal Code does prohibit certain kinds of speech, such as hate propaganda and “undue exploitation of sex”. Canadian customs officials are empowered to block the import of any material considered to be hateful, obscene, seditious, or treasonous. The goal of these restrictions is largely to protect from the social harm that encouraging hateful and obscene behaviors can create.
Many novels which are now considered classics and are prized for their literary content have fallen into the banned book category over the years. At one time or another Animal Farm, Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men and Brave New World have all found themselves on banned book lists in North America. Ironically, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 has been subjected to censorship and banning, even though the story is about the dangers and consequences of censorship. All these books are in our Classic Fiction collection, and if you have never read them, perhaps this Freedom to Read Week might be the time to do so.
In Canada, most challenges revolve around objections to depictions of violence, sexually explicit content, anti-religious sentiment or issues of racism. In the United States, most challenges target African American or LGBTQ authors.
Today, library associations and library boards still deal with books in their collections being challenged. Usually, this is done formally, with a written request, but more often than not, these items simply disappear from the collection, having been removed by someone offended by their content. This is not usually very effective, as items can be replaced, but at a cost to the taxpayer.
During Freedom to Read Week, the Sheep River Library will have a display of previously banned books with a blurb describing why and where it was banned, and for how long. We are hoping the display will generate some thought and discussion about the topic of censorship and banning books and how important it is to develop critical thinking skills so that individuals can evaluate materials for themselves. It is helpful to remember that books are a portal to different life experiences and reading encourages empathy and social-emotional development.
The library will be open Saturday, February 17 but closed Monday, February 19 for Family Day.
