Riverhead Free Library spotlights banned books, celebrates the ‘right to read’

This year, National Banned Books Week runs Oct. 1 through 7, and on Saturday at 2 p.m., Shoreham-Wading River school librarian Rosemary Pearce will speak about historical and current attempts to censor books in schools and libraries across the country. 

“It’s basically an event to celebrate the freedom to read because we wanted to highlight the value of free access to open information to our patron base,” said Catherine Montazem, Riverhead Free Library’s assistant director. “It’s time to bring the community together to celebrate the right to read.”

Ms. Pearce will also detail the rising rate of challenges to the availability of books and other materials over the last few years.

“A challenge is when somebody asks you to remove a book from a shelf at the library,” Ms. Montazem said. “The ban is when the library board takes some action to remove the book or to move it.”

National Banned Books Week was established in 1982 through the efforts of the American Library Association and library activist Judith Krug. This year’s theme is “Let Freedom Read.”

In April 2022, the nonprofit free-speech organization PEN America released a report dubbed “Banned in the USA: Rising School Book Bans Threaten Free Expression and Students’ First Amendment Rights.” It documented decisions to ban books from U.S. school libraries and classrooms from July 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022. The report showed a 33% increase in attempted book bans during that period. 

According to the PEN America report, there have been 12 individual bans in New York State and three bans enacted by school districts in that time. Texas has the largest number of individual bans, at 713, and the largest number of districts enacting bans at 16.

Apart from sharing resources on how to fight censorship on the national, state and local levels, Ms. Pearce will also speak about patrons’ right to see themselves represented in library collections.

Ms. Montazem said when a library purchases titles, it is not a haphazard decision.

“It’s a process. We buy books that are reviewed by experts and that’s why I think we don’t have a lot of issues [in this community],” she said. “We’re happy to promote reading to our patron base. We have a wide variety of patrons and it’s important that we serve all parents, all students … we have resources that fill all their information needs no matter who they are, no matter what they believe or value. We think it’s important that we meet their needs.” Visit riverhead.librarycalendar.com to register.

Biggest of the banned

PEN America’s report on book banning by school districts nationwide lists the following titles as the most commonly banned.

• “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe (30 school districts)

• “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson (21)

•  “Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison (16)

• “Out of Darkness” by Ashley Hope Pérez (16)

• “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison (12)

• “Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out” by Susan Kuklin (11)