Challenges to Canadian Publications Abroad

Welcome to the 2022 edition of ‘Banned Books Week’

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/weekly-education/2022/09/19/welcome-to-the-2022-edition-of-banned-books-week-00057392

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Amnesty International Banned Books Week 2022 is taking place this 18-24 September.

How can libraries participate?

By supporting the Banned Books Week initiatives of both the American Library Association and Amnesty International, libraries can reach out to their communities while further advancing the principles of free expression as articulated in the IFLA Statement on Libraries and Intellectual Freedom and elsewhere.

Augment Book Displays

Ideas in the toolkit include creating a simple “banned books” display that includes info sheets for the Amnesty International cases and links to the ‘take action’ webpages amid a display of books that have a history of censorship.

This year the toolkits on the Banned Books Week website feature QR code enabled printable case sheets that provide basic information about each case and facilitate taking action.

Flyers, bookmarks, and the Buying Books, Amplifying Voices book list (with added titles in 2022) are also available.

Reach out to Local Amnesty International Groups

Libraries and bookstores can reach out to local Amnesty International community and college groups to explore ways to partner. Information about how to find a nearby U.S. based Amnesty International group is in the toolkit. International partners may view Amnesty International country contact information via the Amnesty.org website in order to get in touch with their national section.

Add Case Stories, Words, and Images to Virtual or In-Person Readouts 

Organising a virtual read-out with links to online actions would be an exciting local event if a live in-person read-out is not possible. Local authors, librarians, and booksellers could speak about censorship while Amnesty International members or others from the community share stories of the people featured this year, including the words and images of those censored in the event where possible.

Add and Feature Books Written by Authors Imprisoned or Killed for their Writing

While there are many book lists related to censorship available on the web, libraries and bookstores may be particularly interested in the AIUSA Banned Books Week book list, Buying Books, Amplifying Voices which features more than two dozen books written by or about authors who have been harassed, imprisoned, killed, or exiled because of their writing.

Making these books available to your community takes a stand against censorship. By raising awareness of these creators and their ideas, the intent of censorship is thwarted while our communities gain a greater understanding of the world around us. In the words of Russian LGBTI activist/artist and 2020 Banned Books Week case Yulia Tsvetkova, “the government, ironically, did not silence us, but made it possible to loudly declare injustice.”

Integrate the new Kid-Friendly Resources into Programming and Displays

This year child-friendly resources have been added to the website and include colouring pages related to censorship as well as youth-oriented bookmarks and information sheets about current and prior Banned Books Week cases.  Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers is the featured children’s book as it tells the story of Loujain al-Hathloul, a 2019 Banned Books Week feature case.

Take action throughout October on these Important Cases.

The American Library Association (ALA) has been leading Banned Books Week in the United States since the early 1980s to celebrate the freedom to read and call attention to book censorship efforts. During the 1990s Amnesty International USA began to call attention, during Banned Books Week, to “the plight of individuals who are persecuted because of the writings that they produce, circulate or read.” In 2013, ALA honoured Amnesty International USA with an Office of Intellectual Freedom award recognising AIUSA’s approach to Banned Books Week that focuses on the “logical consequences … that follow when governments are allowed to censor” noting that “beyond the removal or burning of books comes the removal and physical harm to authors, journalists and others.”