đ Banned Books and the Fight Against Censorship
If you are opposed to banning and/or burning books, this guide provides Internet sources which offer insight into unbanning initiatives, advocacy against censorship, and direct access to digital libraries containing books that have been historically and contemporaneously restricted by communities and authorities.
The image above serves as a stark historical reminder of the ultimate act of censorship: the burning of books, as committed by the National Socialists in Opera Square (now Bebelplatz) in Berlin, Germany, on May 10, 1933. The suppression of ideas, knowledge, and diverse voicesâwhether through fire or through removal from library shelvesâis a continuous threat to intellectual freedom and democratic society. Access to unbanned literature is a crucial form of resistance.
â Advocacy and Awareness Resources
These organizations and platforms provide resources for understanding, opposing, and reversing the practices of book banning and curriculum censorship.
- Books for All (New York Public Library): The New York Public Library stands by the right to read freely and provides resources to promote intellectual freedom for all patrons.
- Books Unbanned (Brooklyn Public Library): The Brooklyn Public Library is adding its voice to those fighting for the rights of teenagers nationwide to read what they choose, discover themselves, and form their own opinions. Inspired by the American Library Associationâs Freedom to Read Statement, this initiative responds to coordinated efforts to remove diverse books from library shelves.
- American Library Association Advocacy: The American Library Association advocates for privacy education and effective library programs across the country. Learn how you can be an advocate for every library across the nation.
- Readers Digest: 30 Banned Books You Should Probably Read Right Now: Celebrate the freedom to read by picking up one (or all) of these banned books.
- Banned Books Project: Books are being banned across the world, stifling knowledge and silencing free speech. This project encourages action to stop this trend.
- Books Unbanned (General Resource): From Freedom Riders to Freedom Readers, this site promotes access to restricted literature.
- Barnes & Noble: The Books They Donât Want You to Read: A curated list from the bookseller highlighting banned works.
- Literati Bookstore: Books Banned in 2022: A specific look at books that faced restrictions in a recent year.
đ» E-Book Access and Digital Libraries
These services and archives provide free or accessible digital copies of literature, ensuring access even when physical copies are restricted or removed.
- Archive dot org: A non-profit digital library offering free universal access to books, movies, software, and more.
- BookBub: A service that highlights deals on e-books, often including free titles.
- epubBooks: Provides free, professionally edited e-books in EPUB format.
- fadedpage dot com: Offers public domain books formatted for modern e-readers.
- Feedbooks: A platform for reading and discovering public domain and original e-books.
- Gutenberg-Australia, Gutenberg-Canada, and Gutenberg-US: Project Gutenberg and its international affiliates are major digital libraries for free public domain books.
- HathiTrust Digital Library: A partnership of academic and research institutions preserving and providing access to millions of digitized titles.
- Hoopla: A library service that allows borrowing of digital media (e-books, audiobooks, movies) with a library card.
- LibriVox: Provides free audiobooks from the public domain, read by volunteers.
- Manybooks: A selection of free e-books for various e-reader devices.
- OverDrive: A platform that allows public libraries to lend e-books and audiobooks to patrons.
- Standard Ebooks: Produces high-quality, carefully formatted, and corrected public domain e-books.
đ° Related Contextual Reading (Wikipedia)
For greater understanding of the history and current landscape of intellectual censorship:
- Banned Books Week: An annual event celebrating the freedom to read and highlighting the value of free and open access to information.
- Book censorship in the United States: Details the history and various forms of book censorship that have occurred in the United States.
- Censorship of school curricula in the United States: Discusses efforts to restrict or control the content taught in public school curricula across the country.
Credits and Licensing
Compiled by Mark Rabideau, Opa and Professional Genealogist.
All materials licensed: Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License by eirenicon limited liability company.