SDPL celebrates freedom to read during Banned Books Week

Read-a-thon, storytimes and film screenings spotlight books that have been challenged or banned

SAN DIEGO – The City of San Diego Public Library’s (SDPL) annual Banned Books Week kicked off with a read-a-thon on Monday, Oct. 2, and continues with a full week of programming centered around banned and challenged books. The theme of this year’s Banned Books Week is “Let Freedom Read!” which affirms and celebrates the right to read.

According to the American Library Association, the number of book challenges in 2022 nearly doubled from the year before, and almost 50% of those challenges targeted materials in public libraries.

“The San Diego Public Library’s mission is to inspire lifelong learning through connections to knowledge and each other. The only way to do that is through the free and open exchange of information,” said Library Director Misty Jones. “As book challenges rise across the country, SDPL is committed to fighting against book bans and censorship and encouraging the freedom to read and learn.”

SDPL’s 12th annual Read-a-Thon began at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 2, in the Neil Morgan Auditorium at Central Library. The event included a proclamation of Freedom to Read Day in San Diego by Councilmember Marni von Wilpert and remarks by community representatives. Participants read excerpts from books that have been challenged and banned, including children’s picture books, classic novels and award-winning literature.

During Banned Books Week, the library will also host storytimes featuring banned books, a Freedom to Read author event, banned books bingo and screenings of films based on books that have been challenged. For more information on Banned Books Week and SDPL programs, visit the library’s website at https://www.sandiego.gov/bannedbooksweek.

In partnership with Library Foundation SD, SDPL recently launched Books Unbanned, a campaign to make challenged book titles available to young readers across the country. Through the program, teens and young adults ages 12 to 26 living anywhere in the U.S. can access SDPL’s online collection of banned or restricted eBooks and eAudiobooks for free.

With a vision of being the place for opportunity, discovery and inspiration, the San Diego Public Library is a hub for knowledge and lifelong learning. As the largest library system in the region, it serves a population of more than 1.4 million people. Learn about events at the San Diego Central Library @ Joan Irwin Jacobs Common and 35 community branch libraries, find links to programs and resources or search for materials in the online catalog at www.sandiegolibrary.org.

(SDPL Release)