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Sikeston library marks Banned Book Week
SIKESTON — The first week of October marked the celebration of Banned Book Week at Sikeston Public Library, where a number of books that have been challenged or banned were on display in the children’s library area.
Banned Book Week began in 1982 in reaction to an abrupt increase in the number of challenges to books in libraries, retailers and schools, according to Lisa Munger, children’s librarian at Sikeston Public Library.
Several well-known children’s novels, including “Alice in Wonderland,” “Bridge to Terabithia,” “Hop on Pop,” “Little House on the Prairie,” “The Snowy Day,” and others were on exhibit.
Munger said the yearly occasion unites the whole book community and emphasizes the importance of free and unrestricted access to information.
“These are not books that we are getting rid of; they are just books that have somewhere else been put on a list to be banned or challenged,” Munger said. “We have these books on display to just say, ‘These are examples of books that have been banned at some school somewhere or some library somewhere for one reason or another, but we aren’t getting rid of them.”
Munger said a challenged book isn’t the same as a banned book. According to Munger, a challenged book isn’t necessarily banned but has had an attempt to be removed or restricted.
“It’s good to put these books out because it’s creating conversation,” Munger said. “It’s interesting because people come in and say, ‘Oh my gosh; there’s half of my childhood in the banned books display.’”
Munger said the library had a few people who were unaware of banned book week and wondered whether they could buy the books.
“For people who are unaware of Banned Book Week, it creates a dialogue with people, and then people want to know more about this issue,” Munger said. “Everybody that comes in has been very supportive of it.”
Munger said the objective of the banned book display is also to raise awareness, and she added if parents want their children to continue reading them, they can discuss why it has been designated as a banned book with them.
Munger said last year, one of the elementary school librarians saw the Sikeston Public Library’s Facebook post about the display of banned books and decided to set up her own display at the school library as well.
Munger said the elementary librarian also read one of the books with her classes, and they discussed the book being listed as a banned book and what it meant.
Munger said informing children about banned and challenged books allows them to expand their perspectives and allows them to form their own opinions.