Censorship is on the rise in 2022. Libraries and school districts across the country are facing challenges and bans at an unprecedented rate and during Banned Books Week taking place September 18-24, San Mateo County libraries are uniting against such a movement, serving a broad and diverse community.
The American Library Association (ALA) recorded 729 book challenges last year, double the 2020 total and the highest number recorded since the organization began tracking such statistics.
ALA reported that books are often banned for Afro-descendant or LGBTQIA+ content.
It should be noted that a challenge is when an individual or group seeks to have a book removed, while a ban is the institutional decision to remove a book.
In the face of this, San Mateo County libraries made it clear that their job is to offer a wide variety of choices and to give community members the freedom to choose what to read or not to read.
"We uphold the ALA Library Bill of Rights by opening a new window by seeking to provide useful materials to all members of the community from many points of view," San Mateo County Libraries stressed in a statement.
He added that materials for children and adolescents are often the target of censorship, however, it is the parents who have the right to determine what is best for their families.
Given this, they said there are a number of ways parents can help their children find the right books for them such as asking library staff for help, browsing recommended lists, using special sites with book previews and similar title suggestions with their library card, and reading with their child or reading the same books as their teen so they can better answer questions and engage in meaningful discussions.
To protect the freedom to read, they called for supporting all local libraries, as well as continuing to borrow books and other materials, use online resources and attend their events.
As well as voting in local elections, as public libraries and schools have oversight boards composed of local officials; suggesting new books; staying informed, getting involved, using toolkits to facilitate action, and contacting representatives and the media or initiating grassroots campaigns.
"One of the best ways to fight censors is to read banned books."
In that vein, San Mateo County Libraries detailed that they made some banned books readily available in electronic format earlier this year. To celebrate Banned Books Week 2022, San Mateo County Libraries compiled a list of banned or challenged children's books, which can be accessed by giving click here.
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