Celebrate the freedom to read with Eugene Public Library

In honor of Banned Books Week (Oct. 5-11), Eugene Public Library invites everyone to celebrate and protect the right to read, listen to, view, write, speak and create as they choose. Hear Library Director Angela Ocaña, a longtime national advocate for intellectual freedom, talk about Banned Books Week on the Inside Eugene podcast.

Freedom of speech is a right guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. For years, many people in this country assumed that censorship was a thing of the past or that "it doesn't happen here." Each year, the American Library Association honored Banned Books Week largely as a reminder of historical events and an encouragement to remain aware of the potential threat of censorship and the importance of freedom of speech.

But in the past few years, the nation has faced a striking increase in censorship. Individuals, organizations, candidates and elected officials are requesting, demanding and sometimes legislating that public libraries, school libraries, classrooms and bookstores remove or restrict access to particular titles.

The American Library Association reports documenting "another year in an unabating deluge of efforts to censor library materials in 2024, continuing an extremist campaign to suppress access to books that began in 2021. Last year, 2,452 unique titles were challenged, the third highest number ever documented by ALA and significantly exceeding the annual average of 273 unique titles over the period from 2001-2020." Explore the latest top 10 list of frequently challenged books.

In addition to addressing the harm censorship causes, Banned Books Week celebrates the fact that over time, in the majority of cases, books have remained available precisely because people spoke out for the freedom to read. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community - readers, writers, students, librarians, educators, booksellers, publishers and journalists - in shared support of the value of free and open access to information, entertainment and inspiration.

To stay informed about constantly breaking news on this topic and to get involved in protecting this essential right, visit Unite Against Book Bans.