Jeana Lawrence, first year graduate student in library science program, reads Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling on Monday in the White Library. The annual Banned Books Week from Sept. 24 to 30 is a celebration of the freedom to read.
The University Libraries and Archives collaborated with the Student Chapter of the American Library Association (SCALA) to host events for Banned Books Week from Sept. 24-30 at the William Allen White Library.
“It’s a celebration of intellectual freedom,” said Brady Lund, SCALA President and graduate student in the library science program. “It’s really a belief that everyone should have the right to access and interpret knowledge as they choose.”
They will be partnering with L-Cat, the public transportation service, in order to take people on a bus tour at Stringtown, Emporia. Stringtown consists of the neighborhoods on the east side of Emporia, according to esubsu.weebly.com.
They will be able to take around forty people on the tour in total, according to Bethanie O’Dell, virtual learning librarian and assistant professor at the university libraries and archives.
“We are doing a bus tour for Stringtown,” O’Dell said. “That’s going to be Tuesday. The first tour will be at 2 (p.m.) and the second will be at 2:45 (p.m.).”
They will also be holding a scavenger hunt throughout the library, where participants can win prizes upon completion, according to O’Dell. Anyone interested should go to the information desk during the week to get their first clue or hint.
“The prizes will be a water bottle or flash drive,” O’Dell said. “There are twenty four different facts and they have to find twelve in order to get one of the prizes.”
SCALA is will be bringing in speakers and readers to the learning commons to read from books that have been banned in the past and explain why each book was banned.
“Currently we have five readers signed up during the week. We’re also inviting people to do impromptu readings, they can just join us over there,” Lund said. “Everybody’s welcome.”
Jeana Lawrence, SCALA webmaster and graduate student in library science program, said they will be having some form of handout or display to give more information on the topic and why it’s important.
“I want students to know that they are very welcome to participate in any way they would like, and we’re definitely open to different organizations working with us,” Lund said. “The whole purpose of it is to raise awareness to these issues.”