TOLEDO, Ohio — The University of Toledo will commemorate its 27th annual Banned Books Vigil, where a full day of presentations will discuss the status of book banning in the United States.
Thursday's free event is open to the public and begins at 9 a.m. Every half hour, there will be a presentation or presentation, lasting through 5 p.m. It will be held on the first floor of the Carlson Library.
According to the event's site, the topics of the presentations center on the discourse surrounding banned books, censorship and education.
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Banned Books Week is commemorated by schools, libraries and other groups around the country. It is intended to draw attention to book challenges - when someone or a group of people formally object to the contents of a publicly-accessible book - across the country.
“When we read, we interpret,” said Dr. Paulette D. Kilmer, coordinator of the UToledo Banned Books Coalition in a press release for the event. “Our experiences shape what the words teach us about the world around us. The author cannot control how we will read the story, and that is why we must never let anyone censor our access to news, books, art, music, theater or other forms of creative expression.”
Thursday's events will feature giveaways, games and light refreshments.
For the full presentation schedule, click here.
According to the American Library Association (ALA), which has tracked challenges to books since 1982, 414 challenges were reported, encompassing 4,240 unique titles. Multiple titles are sometimes included in one challenge. This is up from 2,571 titles in 2022 and 1,858 titles in 2021.
Between Jan. 1, 2024 and Aug. 31, 2024, 1,128 titles have been challenged. Ohio is among 17 states with more than 100 titles challenged. In 2023, the most frequently challenged book, according to ALA data, was "Gender Queer: A Memoir" by Maia Kobabe, with 106 challenges.
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