Introduction to the Topic of Banned Books

All across America, attempts are made every day to remove or restrict books and materials based on the objections of a person or a group.  A book is considered to be banned when it is completely removed from a library or a curriculum and becomes inaccessible to a patron.  Fortunately, many of the challenges to ban a book are unsuccessful, leaving challenged books to be retained as a valuable part of the library collection.
As librarians, we exercise our commitment to educate our patrons about the history of challenged and banned books, and we exercise our commitmrnt to inform patrons about the issues that surround currently censored materials. We have an obligation to inform patrons of their basic right to read and seek information, and provide them with access to materials. We offer information on censorship and intellectual freedom with the goal of guiding our young patrons towards independent selection of books and materials.

Meet Your Student Librarian
Wendy Dere

Wendy has been teaching at the elementary and middle school levels for 15 years, and is currently a Teacher Librarian at two elementary schools. She developed a love of reading through exploration of different genres as a tween/teen. Wendy believes it's crucial to provide today's youth with the foundational knowledge of how to access information in order for them to reach their full academic potential .   

A product of SJSU SLIS LIBR 210 - Spring 2010 - Professor Lili Luo

Website Created by: Rachael-Joy Cowham, Wendy Dere, Puiyuk Sin, and Elsa Werner