Celebrate the Freedom to Read at Binghamton University Libraries
Banned Books Week Exhibits!
@Bartle Library + Science Library
30th Anniversary of Banned Books Week
Exhibit runs from
Binghamton University Libraries is celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Banned Books Week with a semester long exhibit. Banned Books Week was established in 1982 to provide awareness to past and current contested books, to challenge censorship and persecution in all forms and to uphold the freedom to read. All the books exhibited have been marked with controversy in one way or another. Issues of race, religion, sexuality, and violence have triggered calls for restriction by those offended with these sensitive topics. Whether it is in an elementary school, a public library, a university collection, or a bookstore, materials ranging from toddler picture books to Nobel Prize winning novels have been marked as obscene. The achievement we are celebrating with this exhibit is the winning battle of free and open access over censorship in America.
Glenn G. Bartle Library will be exhibiting banned books from its collections through the Fall 2012 semester on the mezzanine exhibit case off the main stairway.
The Science Library is celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Banned Books Week with a semester long exhibit. Featured are works of Science Fact and novels of Science Fiction that have rocked the morals and philosophies of Western society from the 16th century to the present day.
Come and visit to find the answers to questions like: What science fiction title caused the arrest of a bookseller in 1973? Why did Darwin collect photos of people making funny faces? And what was “The Book that Nobody Read”?
The controversy stirred by the work of Galileo and Darwin made an impact still felt today. The clash between Science, Religion, and Government effects education, public policy, and American culture. Some of the books on display from the Binghamton University collection go beyond science to explore these broader effects. All books on display may be checked out to anyone with a library card. Additionally, an informational handout with links and QR codes is also free to take.
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This and other exhibits can be found on the Library Exhibits webpage. Read more about Banned Books Week on the Library News & Events page and on the Banned Books Week site.