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How dangerous is a book? Smithers celebrates Freedom to Read Week

Smithers Public Library Director Wendy Wright sits in front of a section of books that would be "banned" for their content (typically, LGBTQ2+ and novels about gender and sexuality) to raise awareness during Freedom to Read Week in Canada. Photo by Pamela Haasen.
Pamela Haasen - CICK - Smithers • BC | 22-02-2023
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The Smithers Public Library is challenging censorship this week during Freedom to Read.

In 1984, the Book and Periodical Council started a nationwide annual initiative called Freedom to Read Week to "challenge the covert nature of censorship, creating a broader awareness of these ongoing challenges to Canadian writing, and to allow Canadians to actively defend their right to publish, read and write freely and to widen their understanding of the negative effects of censorship, not just on readers but on writers and publishers as well."

Now, 37 years later, censorship is still present in North America. Recently, legislative House Bill in Florida (HB 1467) came into effect on Jan. 1, which requires school books to be approved by the state government.

"School librarians, media specialists, and other personnel involved in the selection of school district library materials must complete the online training program developed by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) prior to reviewing and selecting age appropriate materials and library resources. A memorandum was sent recently to school districts calling for nominations for workgroup members to help develop this training," HB 1467 states.

Wendy Wright is the Library Director at the Smithers Public Library. She is an advocate for uncensored reading as well as due process if a book is challenged.

In her interview with CICK News, Wright also spoke about the process of getting a book removed from the library and what the branch is witnessing in the North American community.

"What is happening now is that organized groups are passing around lists of dozens or hundreds of books, and sending online petitions to demand en masse that books, or even lists of books, and they're passing it to all of the people they know and asking them to en mass demand the removal of massive lists of books and even some of them even say, and any other books by any of these authors without even having read the books."

Wright spoke about Freedom to Read Week in Smithers and the library's upcoming event on Friday: "Banned Book Trivia Night." According to Wright, it's a fun way to educate people on the history of banned books and bring awareness to this type of censorship.

Freedom to Read Week runs Feb.19-25.

Listen to Wright's interview with CICK News in the link below:

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