PHOTO PROVIDED The Annie Halenbake Ross Library is observing Banned Books Week with a unique display of banned books. The library is also holding a drawing, with those who check out a book entered for a chance to win a Kindle Fire.

LOCK HAVEN — This week Annie Halenbake Ross Library observed Banned Books Week (Sept. 22-28), bringing attention to book banning attempts both historical and current.

For the month of September the library put up a display of books that have all been challenged or banned. The books are all in brown paper wrappers with just a bit of the cover exposed, and the entire section is blocked off with caution tape.

The library is promoting checking out the books by having a drawing for a free Kindle Fire to those who participate.

Executive Director Tammy Garrison says that the display represents efforts across the country to restrict access to books.

“We’ve tried to make it an effort to check these books out. Not only do you have to reach around the caution tape, but you must guess what the book is, based on just a glimpse of the cover,” Garrison said.

The display is meant to encourage “discussion about the types of books that get banned, and how book censorship hurts all of us.”

“A free country does not tell its citizens what is ‘acceptable’ or ‘safe’ to read, and what is ‘unacceptable’ and ‘dangerous.’ It is also not a decision that citizens should be making for each other,” Garrison says.

Some of the books on the display are traditional targets for banning, such as books by Toni Morrison and the Bible.

Others are newer to the display, such as “Maus,” a story about the Holocaust, and books with socially challenging material, like “Gender Queer.”

According to Garrison, many people are often shocked to discover that romance books with “spicy” content, that have frank descriptions of sex, intended for adults, are also often on the list.

This is in addition to books about race, LGBTQ issues, the roles of women in society, books about modern horrors such as sex trafficking and books about diversity and inclusion.

She said that while most people can agree that adults should have control over what they read, many do not share the same opinions of minors’ reading materials.

“I get that people are genuinely concerned about the material that children and teens may be exposed to. That concern is to be taken seriously and lauded. It means they care,” Garrison said. “However, a book that may not be right for one family may be right for another. It may help a family broach a difficult subject, such as incarceration, or race or sex. It can be a jumping-off point for serious family discussions regarding their values and what children and teens can expect to find in the adult world.”

She reminds patrons that parents have the ultimate privilege and responsibility for deciding what their own children do and do not read.

According to the American Library Association (ALA), most banning attempts happen in public libraries, but 39 percent also happen in school libraries. And book banning attempts have skyrocketed in recent years, from 183 in 2014 to 4,240 in 2023.

The most attempts to censor books come from patrons themselves, but nearly a quarter come from pressure groups, which often organize and target books from a preconceived list, as opposed to organically, such as when a patron reads a book from cover to cover and makes the censorship request, Garrison said.

The majority of people involved in pressure groups never read the books they are attempting to ban.

With that, Garrison does say that a process for reconsideration is available in libraries.

“The first step is talking to someone at the library and requesting information on the reconsideration process. Books may be misfiled and could be intended for an older audience. They may also be found to be without artistic, informational or literary merit,” she said.

She said libraries use book review publications and websites to choose and place books, so this doesn’t happen. However, it occasionally does, in which case libraries appreciate when those materials are brought to the library’s attention.

Garrison said, “books are read by the library staff as part of the reconsideration process and a decision on literary, informational and artistic merit is made. All books requested for reconsideration are not automatically moved or removed.”

Books are selected by skilled and educated library staff members, including those with a master’s degree in Library and Information Sciences, such as the Executive Director. This means they are given an educated consideration.

The library will run the display until Sept. 30. The drawing for the Kindle Fire — and the second place prize planner and mug — will take place Oct. 1.

Patrons are encouraged to come to the library and participate in the banned books observance by checking books out from the display and entering the drawing. Each book checked out gets an entry.

“Everyone is encouraged to participate and take a moment to consider the consequences of banning books. Remember: ‘Free People Read Freely,'” Garrison said.