SIU’s Banned Books Week includes donation of 500+ books to Morris Library

September 19, 2024

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill. - A celebration of donated books to Southern Illinois University Carbondale's Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) and a continuing focus on the harms of censorship will highlight Banned Books Week, which runs Sunday through Saturday, Sept. 22-28, at Morris Library.

The SCRC will host a free, public reception with refreshments at 10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 23, in the library's Hall of Presidents and Chancellors to celebrate the addition of more than 500 books about diverse communities, donated by SIU Carbondale's Student Multicultural Resource Center.

"The donation has become part of our McCoy First Amendment (Freedom of Speech, Religion, and the Press) collection, which began in the 1960s to support the right to read by preserving books that had been challenged or spoke to issues of disadvantaged groups," said Anne Marie Hamilton-Brehm, associate dean for library affairs. "Along with challenged books ranging from adult to children's literature, the collection preserves many volumes on health care. The donated books speak largely to the lived experience and issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community, women, African Americans, immigrants and Native Americans."

Hamilton-Brehm noted that many titles recently challenged and banned from schools and public libraries "have been written by or about members of the LGBTQ+ community and people of color."

The books are available to the public by request to read at the SCRC from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

"We are very excited to see this collection of books have its home at the Special Collections Research Center, where it will be open to researchers of all backgrounds and experiences," said Juniper Oxford, program coordinator with the LGBTQ Resource Center. "Many of the most commonly banned books across the nation are LGBTQ-related - which stifles our collective understanding of the most basic components of our beings. With such an effort to obliterate the diversity of history, we must make an effort to remember those voices. It is vital that we preserve and uphold a broader and more detailed vision of our collective history, told through a diverse multitude of perspectives."

Rise in book challenges

Statistics from the American Library Association show an "unprecedented rise" in book censorship and unique titles being challenged in 2023 compared with 2022, said John Pollitz, dean of library affairs at SIU Carbondale. There were 4,240 unique books titles targeted for censorship last year. Before 2021, the average number of challenged titles was 273 per year, he added. Public libraries and school libraries are affected most often, with higher education libraries receiving 2% of the challenges.

In June 2023, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation outlawing book bans in Illinois, becoming the first in the nation to do so. Morris Library has incorporated the ALA's Library Bill of Rights into its mission statement.

"The law protects the freedom of libraries to acquire books without restrictions as they see fit for their communities and campuses," Pollitz said. "The Illinois State Library has taken the lead in promoting the adoption of the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights. In fact, when Morris Library last applied for a grant from the State Library, we were obliged to certify that we have officially endorsed that document in order to be eligible for state funding."

McCoy First Amendment Collection

Morris Library's Freedom of the Press collection was established by the library's first director and journalism professor Ralph E. McCoy. The collection, housed in the Special Collections Research Center, consists of thousands of books, pamphlets, manuscripts and letters that document the history of censorship in the English-speaking world over the last four centuries. Morris Library purchased McCoy's renowned collection in 1981.

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