Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. This year it was held from September 24-30, 2017.
Every year, in libraries throughout the country, people challenge books that they consider controversial, and try to have them banned. Banned Books Week is important because it raises awareness about the harms of censorship. It also reminds people of our right to read books from all points of view without restriction, no matter how unorthodox or unpopular those books might be.
To celebrate Banned Books Week, the UT ALA/TLA Student Chapter held a photo contest. Students could submit photos that they took of themselves posing with banned books. We had a mug shot background and some banned books set up in Tocker Lounge for students to use as props in their photos. When Banned Books Week came to a conclusion, John Rovell was randomly selected as our winner, and he received a $15 gift card to Half Price Books!
Here are just a few of the photos submitted. Visit UT ALA/TLA’s Facebook page to view more!
American Library Association / Texas Library Association – UT Student Chapter
We are the UT Austin student chapter of the American Library Association and the Texas Library Association. The UT ALA/TLA student chapter strives to:
- bring together iSchool students interested in academic, public, and school libraries.
- provide programming on topics of interest and use in various library settings.
- promote participation in ALA and TLA.
The chapter holds events to create networking opportunities, introduce students to professionals in the field of librarianship, and promote educational and professional development opportunities.
If you would like to join ALA and TLA, you can do so here.
Email: alatlastudent@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/alatla
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ALATLAstudent
