PATRONS GOING INTO THE SOUTH SIOUX CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY HAVE BEEN SURPRISED THIS WEEK WHEN THEY HAVE STOPPED BY TO CHECK OUT A BOOK TO READ.
THEY HAVE FOUND CAUTION AND DANGER TAPE BLOCKING THE BOOKS, MOVIES, AND MUSIC, STOPPING THEM FROM CHECKING ONE OUT.
DAN NIEMAN, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE SOUTH SIOUX PUBLIC LIBRARY, SAYS IT’S TO PROVE A POINT DURING “BANNED BOOKS WEEK” AT THE LIBRARY:
BANNED1 OC……..IN LIBRARIES. :17
THE THEME FOR THIS YEAR’S BANNED BOOKS WEEK IS “BOOKS UNITE US, CENSORSHIP DIVIDES US”.
NIEMAN SAYS IT IS EASY TO SAY A BOOK SHOULD BE CHALLENGED, BUT WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT SOMEONE ELSE MAY WANT TO CHALLENGE YOUR FAVORITE BOOK OR AUTHOR:
BANNED2 OC…GONNA BAN THIS. :21
BANNED BOOKS WEEK WAS LAUNCHED IN 1982 IN RESPONSE TO A SUDDEN SURGE IN THE NUMBER OF CHALLENGES TO BOOKS IN SCHOOLS, BOOKSTORES, AND LIBRARIES.
THE LATEST SURGE CAME LAST YEAR AND A REPORT SHOWS THERE WERE MORE ATTEMPTS TO GET BOOKS BANNED FROM THE NATION’S LIBRARIES LAST YEAR THAN EVER BEFORE, WITH MANY OF THOSE INVOLVING SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND LIFESTYLE BOOKS.
NIEMAN SAYS THOSE CHALLENGES HAVEN’T HAPPENED IN SOUTH SIOUX CITY, BUT SOME HAVE IN NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES:
BANNED3 OC………BOOK SO. :27
NIEMAN SAYS EVEN THOUGH BANNED BOOKS WEEK ENDS SATURDAY, THE SOUTH SIOUX LIBRARY MAY CONTINUE THE EFFORT:
BANNED4 OC…….PROVE A POINT. :15
YOU MAY BE SURPRISED BY SOME OF THE BOOKS PEOPLE HAVE TRIED THE MOST TO GET BANNED FROM LIBRARIES IN THE PAST THREE YEARS:
THAT LIST INCLUDES OF MICE AND MEN BY JOHN STEINBECK, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD BY HARPER LEE, THE HANDMAID’S TALE BY MARGARET ATWOOD AND THE HARRY POTTER SERIES OF BOOKS BY J.K. ROWLING.
