Banned Book Week

2013-09-26 08:44:32

Near the entrance of the Dana Point Library is a display of books many would be familiar with: “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,” “Of Mice and Men,” “Captain Underpants.”

Though seemingly different, these books have one important thing in common; they've all been banned or challenged at some point. The display is part of the library's participation in Banned Book Week – an annual event that draws attention to censorship – which continues through this week.

Censorship isn't a fictional practice out of Ray Bradbury's “Fahrenheit 451.” In the past 15 years, nearly 200 books were challenged in the state of California, according to the American Library Association. The organization tracks the hundreds of books that are challenged or banned across the nation each year.

“Banned Books Week is a celebration of the freedom to read,” said Dana Point librarian Susan Pina. “A democracy depends on an informed public, so if books are banned that information isn't out there for people.”

Every year the library displays previously challenged or censored books to remind people that there was a time when books like common classics were restricted. It's especially important because many children don't know books they read in school were once banned or that it still happens today, she said.

“(Censorship) goes against everything we stand for as a society,” Pina said. “It's also good to know there are groups out there that challenge books.”

More often than not – in California and nationwide – books are challenged by parents, according to data collected by the American Library Association. Pina has had her share of experiences with parents who have objected to children's books, but she said it comes with the job.

“At one point or another, a librarian is going to have someone complain,” she said. “There's something to offend everybody.”

Pina said having dealt with it before, she's prepared for challenges to books. She doesn't let it bother her and respectfully directs people to the forms they need to fill out their complaint.

“I think everyone has a right to express their opinion and I respect that, so I don't take it as an affront,” she said. “Everyone has very different viewpoints and beliefs and values.”

The Dana Point Library, like all branches in the OC Public Libraries system, celebrates the annual week by displaying books that other libraries across the country have tried to ban in the past, said Kathleen Wade, the biographic service manager for the county library system.

Although the county does provide lengthy forms for people to file complaints against library material, OC Public Libraries does not ban titles, Wade said.

“Our policy states that, ‘as a public institution disseminating information in a democratic society, the library has an obligation to create an environment in which all individuals have the freedom to explore ideas without fear of judgment or censure,'” she said.

The county has had 11 challenges to material – eight books, two magazines and one DVD – in the past five years.

Orange County cities with known challenges include Anaheim and Yorba Linda in 2001, according to the American Library Association. In 2009, Capistrano Unified School District briefly restricted the “Twilight” series from its schools. The decision was overturned a few days later. The district works with school librarians to determine appropriate reading material at each school, said Marcus Walton, chief communications officer for the district.

Parents can bring complaints against materials directly to the school or to the school board if they don't feel their concerns have been addressed, Walton said. The district has no record of any complaints.

Contact the writer: lruta@ocregister.com or 949-492-5686

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