#bannedbooks

Don't we all just LOVE the hashtag?  I know you do.  I thought it was about time I use it for the title of a post, and since last week was one of the most popular and important weeks for a library's year of activities, I thought I should bust it out.  But, I digress before I even begin...

BANNED BOOKS!!!  Every librarian's favorite topic!  Since this is my first year as an official school librarian/media specialist, I couldn't let Banned Books Week pass me by.  I am in a junior high/middle school, so I have to be careful what I push to these younger ones, but I feel like I was able to give an introduction to Banned Books in a fairly safe, yet interesting way.  I have created another big display for Banned Books, and I have also created one lesson (so far) to introduce the concept to the students. 

 A display with just a few of the banned/challenged books from our collection.  

NOTE:  The books on the bottom shelf include authors that have been banned/challenged, but not necessarily the specific title that had been banned/challenged.

 Students couldn't believe that some of their favorites--like Drama, Dr. Seuss, and Charlotte's Web--had been banned or challenged. 

 I created a short powerpoint and bookmark for the students to fill out.  As I went through the idea of Banned Books--what they are, why people try to ban/challenge books, popular titles that have been banned--I had students fill in a short bookmark for a future pop quiz.  At the end of the lesson I gave each table of students a baggie filled with a banned book cover that had been cut up into pieces.  The students had to put the puzzle back together to find out what banned book they had, and then they had to pick a representative from the group to read out loud why the book had been banned/challenged.  They did an AWESOME job working together and sharing their titles!

 Can you guess what titles they're putting together?

I even let Cardinals fans play. 

Along with the puzzle activity and display, I have put on the center of each table a quote from an author who has had titles banned or challenged and have put READstricted signs throughout the library.  I also have one trivia question/day to raise awareness of banned books.  (More on the trivia in a future post.)

So far, all is going well in our month-long "celebration" of banned books.  I have another activity planned for next week about banned picture books, and several students have already been asking about it!  Yay! 

Just a Regular Day

It's just a regular old day here at the Uni Library, and a day in which I get some more awesome practice at being a future librarian.

The Subbie (grades 7/8 combined) Group is doing a project on Banned Books before the semester is over, and a student came in today needing some help on finding information on Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho.

So, I got to spend the morning talking with her about American Psycho, looking up primary source documents on the furor that American Psycho caused, and helping her navigate online books and request articles from campus storage.  So, all in all, just an awesome morning.  I even got to exercise biting my tongue as to why a 13-year-old shouldn't be reading that violent, drug- and sex-induced satire.  Yay me!  On that note...

As a librarian I am all for not banning books, freedom of speech, and freedom of access, but if my kid wanted to read American Psycho at 13, we would have a discussion about appropriate book selection for one's maturity level.  Part of the project the Subbie Group is doing is completing research BEFORE they read the book as to why it's been banned, and then they have to present a convincing proposal to their parents as to why they should be able to read it.  Before the student gets cleared to read the book, they must present a signed copy of the letter from their parents saying it's fine for them to it.  This is ingenious, and I wish I would have thought of this as a former teacher.  I would like to read this student's letter about American Psycho, because she really, REALLY wants to read it.

In my research this morning I was also reminded of the London musical adaptation of the book starring Whoniverse's Matt Smith, which has a score by 90s one hit wonder, Duncan Sheik.  I have to get my hands on that recording.

Banned Books Bulletin Board

Gosh almighty, I LOVED doing this bulletin board.  It took a lot of work cutting out all of those flames, but it was worth it.  I don't have much to say about the board, because I think its awesomeness speaks for itself.

This is another Pinterest idea.  I know, I know: no originality on my part.  Well, I'm gettin' into the groove of this library thing, and if the boards look this cool, why re-invent the wheel?  The board I looked at on Pinterest didn't have quotes, though.  I found the quotes about censorship on BuzzFeed of all places and thought they would fit perfectly with the week.  The book covers are from the authors quoted on the board.

I've loved creating a display and bulletin board for my first Banned Books Week as a librarian.  (OK, I know I'm still in grad school, and a semester and a half away from graduation, but I think I can use the title already.)  I have already started to collect ideas for future Banned Books Weeks...on Pinterest.  ;) 

Banned Books Week is Here!

That's right!  It's finally here: BANNED BOOKS WEEK!!!  It's kind of like Christmas for people who like to, oh I don't know, celebrate free speech and intellectual freedom and that type of stuff.

Let's start this week off in a simple way: Let's throw down some displays.  Like this one:

 BAM!  Read Graphic Novels!  

The focus for this year's Banned Books Week is graphic novels.  So, you know...like go out and read one...or two...or THREE.

Have you NEVER read a graphic novel before?  Well, this week is the perfect week to start.  Don't feel guilty about reading a "comic book."  The art of the comic and the graphic novel have come so far.  They really aren't just for little kids anymore.  The stories hidden within the covers of a graphic novel can be some of the most extraordinary, mind-bending, thought-provoking things you've ever read in your life.  PLEASE do yourself a favor and check one out this week.  Check out this LINK for some graphic novel reading suggestions.

Here's my overly simplistic (/lazy?) method for this display: I just went through the shelves of our awesome graphic novel collection and pulled some fantastic reads. I also consulted a list of banned graphic novels (same as the link above) to make sure I got a few of those on there.

Display #2?  Check her out:

Banned Brown Bags!  BOOM!

The method behind this one, you might ask?  Well, I read over and over AND over several of the Banned Books Lists compiled by the American Library Association.  I then consulted our collection.  I tried to pick out the ones that would be of highest interest to the students, but I also wanted to throw a couple in there that they might have read, but would be compelled to re-read after finding out a favorite was banned.  Like this one:

Can you guess what this one might be?  Here are a couple of hints: It has to do with a boy and a giant peach.  ;)

Oh, and LOOK!

Proof that my displays actually work!  Kiddos checking out the subversive literature under the brown bags.  HUZZAH!

That's all for now, chickadees.  Check back throughout the week for fun Banned Books info and more info on my displays, activities, and ideas for my first Banned Books Week.  Now, go be degenerate and READ BANNED BOOKS!!!

Getting Ready for Banned Books Week

I've been planning for this since the first week of school.  It's the first big library even of the year.  I am too excited to celebrate the freedom to read in a couple of weeks.  Here are a few of websites to get you as excited as I am and to get you involved in the deviant behavior of reading banned books.

Banned Books Timeline -- Including banned/challenged books and why they were banned/challenged.  Perhaps my favorite on the list is Paolo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, which encourages an equal collaborative relationship between teacher and student.

About Banned and Challenged Books -- Always heard about Banned Books Week but haven't really looked too much into it?  If you want more information after viewing the timeline, check out this site from the American Library Association (ALA)

First Amendment Film Festival -- Get the masses pumped up for Banned Books Week by having a First Amendment Film Festival.  My favorite pick?  Show Christian Slater in Pump Up the Volume.  That sounds like an awesome time to me!

Frequently Challenged Books -- Here are the lists you need: all the banned books you can handle!  I challenge you to read at least one.

Banned & Challenged Comics List -- This year's focus for Banned Books Week is graphic novels.  Check out this list to read some deviant graphics!

Those are just five to get you started.  Tune in next week for some display and bulletin board ideas for your own Banned Books Week decor.  And, remember: you don't have to be a librarian to spread banned books awareness!