In early April the American Libraries Association kicked of National Library Week by announcing the names of the 10 most challenged (as in somebody has asked the libraries to stop lending the titles) books. When the news made its made into the feeds on LinkedIn, I asked people for suggestions on how to counter the book banning efforts. Nobody replied, but undeterred, I came up with a list of my own counter-measures. These are my ideas based on things I have done in the past. If you have other suggestions, we’d like to hear them.
- Write a letter of support to the administrator of the local library near you and/or to the public library you frequent most often. Tell them how much you appreciate books, love reading, appreciate their work, etc.
- Get a card from the public library near you and use it often.
- Volunteer at the library.
- Make a monetary donation to the libraries in your area. Every dollar helps. Yes, the libraries are supported by tax dollars, but there is never enough money in the budget; donation dollars are always well spent.
- Buy a new copy of a book that you loved reading as a child or a child you know loved to read. Donate it to the library along with a note or letter of support. Stuck for ideas? Here’s a list of the most popular books for kids in Canada which deal with the theme of love.
- Buy a new copy of one or more of the banned books on the ALA list and donate it with a letter or note of support.
Of course, you can always do more than one of these things! Please feel free to suggest this post to others via social media. And, if you do any or all of these things, I would love to hear your story!
