Wednesday, September 22 Banned Books Week

Barbara Jones, heroic librarian and Director, Office of Intellectual Freedom (ALA)

Cool Banned Books Week 2010 poster!

Through September Bibliocracy airs on Wednesday evenings at 8 PM. Now, about this week’s show: The brave and difficult, not to mention exhilarating work of the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom should not need review, but, just in case, let’s consider that in response to the PATRIOT Act and other legislative efforts to redefine and legislate intellectual freedom and privacy that organization and its director, Barbara M. Jones, have been real heroes to many. And then there’s its longtime work to document efforts to limit your First Amendment right to read, freely. On the occasion of the ALA’s annual Banned Books Week, which begins this Saturday, September 25, I’m happy to indeed review its premise, the continuing need and value of this national week of actions, and to spend some time with the director of the Office of Intellectual Freedom, Barbara Jones. We’ll talk about the annual list of “banned, censored and challenged” books and review the history of this grand event celebrating our right to read. Visit the ALA’s Banned Books Week 2010 site for more information: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm

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