Due to a scheduling conflict with their open house last week, the Orcas Island Library is celebrating a delayed Banned Books Week, this being held the week of Oct. 20 through Oct. 25. This marks the 27th anniversary of Banned Books Week, ALA’s (American Library Association) annual celebration of the freedom to read.

“This freedom, not only to choose what we read, but also to select from a full array of possibilities, is firmly rooted in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press,” said Orcas’ Public Services Librarian Kathleen Stribling. “Although we enjoy an increasing quantity and availability of information and reading material, we must remain vigilant to insure that access to this material is preserved; would-be censors who continue to threaten the freedom to read come from all quarters and all political persuasions. Even if well-intentioned censors try to limit the freedom of others to choose what they read, see and hear.

“The challenges documented on this year’s list are not brought by people merely expressing a point of view; rather, they represent requests to remove materials from schools or libraries, thus restricting access to them by others. Even when the eventual outcome allows the book to stay on the library shelves and even when the person is a lone protester, the censorship attempt is real. Someone has tried to restrict another person’s ability to choose. Challenges are as important to document as actual bannings, in which a book is removed from the shelves of a library or bookstore or from the curriculum at a school. Attempts to censor can lead to voluntary restriction of expression by those who seek to avoid controversy; in these cases, material may not be published at all or may no be purchased by a bookstore, library, or school district.”

The Orcas Island Library will be celebrating Banned Books Week according to its tradition, with a display of the books that have made this year’s list, along with previous year’s listings, all available for check-out. The always-popular Banned Book Brownies will be served, and patrons can pick up bookmarks.