WVU Libraries

The Daily Athenaeum reported Monday that this week marks the 25th anniversary of the American Library Association Banned Books Week, which runs through this Saturday.

To promote awareness of challenged and banned books, WVU Libraries is running a booth in the Mountainlair from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. throughout the remainder of the school week.

The event was created as a celebration of readers’ freedom to read and learn about whatever they choose – a freedom for the pursuit of knowledge – with its basis in our nation’s Constitution.

While we may not deal directly with conflict as a result of banned books, students at West Virginia University are familiar with the value of knowledge and the comfort in our freedom to choose our fields of study. And when our interests extend beyond academic programs of study, we enjoy the diverse environment of extracurricular activities and clubs.

Those most directly affected by banned book policies – public libraries and school systems – do not enjoy the same freedoms we have at college. These are the people who need our support during Banned Books Week, which allows us to celebrate our right to learn what we wish to learn.

It’s important for students to understand the threat of those who try to regulate what people can and cannot learn, and it’s important that we take a stand against them.

The staff of The Daily Athenaeum would like to encourage students to head to a library or bookstore and pick up a book that pushes boundaries; it may just teach you how to exceed your own.

For more information about banned books, visit the Mountainlair booth or the ALA Web site at www.ala.org/bbooks. Also, check out Google’s contribution to Banned Books Week at www.google.com/bannedbooks.