[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/FreedomtoRead09.jpg” caption=”Colleen MacKinnon and Amanda Graham set up a display of challenged books in Mills Memorial Library for Freedom to Read Week. Photo courtesy of the Library.”]Not all books are considered equal. Every day books and magazines are removed from the shelves of libraries, schools and stores around the world. Whatever the rationale, attempts to ban books in Canada have been met by libraries and literacy advocates who are doing their best to preserve our freedom to read by refusing to allow challenged books to be censored or banned.

At McMaster University Library, library school co-op students Colleen MacKinnon and Amanda Graham set up a display of challenged books in the lobby of Mills Memorial Library for Freedom to Read Week, a national event to discourage the censorship of literature. Each book was accompanied by a free bookmark featuring a description of the most recent challenge to ban the title from a library, school or bookstore.

Student response and interest in the book display was overwhelmingly positive. Some of the first titles to be checked out were Alice Walker's The Color Purple, Alice Seabold's The Lovely Bones and Bell Hooks' Black Looks.

“Even though it's a busy time of year for students, I think students are still interested in what is going on in the literary world. Many of the titles on display are books students have studied in their classes and have written papers on,” said MacKinnon.

In response to such positive feedback, the Library has created a brand new website featuring challenged books from its own collection. Sexuality, coarse language, racism, pornography, and religious bias are only a few of the controversial issues which these books have tackled over time.

Sound interesting? Cover art from all of the challenged books can be viewed and easily browsed on the new Freedom to Read webpage.

To learn more, please visit: http://www.freedomtoread.ca.