CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois University will recognize Banned Books Week from Oct. 2-6.聽
The week is a chance to highlight Americans' freedom of speech by focusing on books that were challenged for including controversial topics. SIU will host a community reading session, a panel discussion and a speech on the First Amendment to commemorate the week.聽
鈥淲e hope that the audience will think more deeply about their hard won right to freedom of speech and freedom to follow their curiosity wherever it leads,鈥� said John Pollitz, dean of library affairs at SIU Carbondale. 鈥淲e hope they learn more about the resources available to them in the Special Collections Research Center and our history in supporting the right to free speech.鈥�
The week's celebration kicks off Monday with the community read and panel discussion. These events will occur from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Morris Library next to the John C. Guyon Auditorium across from the rotunda. These events will expose participants to banned content and discuss the importance of engaging with banned content.
The celebration will continue until Friday the 6th with the discussion on the First Amendment. Aaron Lisec, a professor from the library's special collections research center, will show off the library's McCoy press freedom collection. The collection shows viewers the history of book banning and how the First Amendment's meaning and importance have shifted. This event will take place in the Hall of Presidents and Chancellors inside of the library.聽
All events are free of charge and open to anyone.聽
The American Library Association has revealed over 1,200 instances of attempted book banning occured last year. Forty-three of these were in Illinois. In June of this year, though, Gov. J.B. Pritzker made Illinois the first state to ban these bans.聽
