Since its inception, the American Library Association has been fighting censorship and working tirelessly to protect the First Amendment rights of all readers. Snow Library, following the ALA's lead, believes that everyone should have access to all information and that the public library's responsibility is to provide that access, not only by the materials it purchases but also by offering interlibrary loan and electronic access. 

Since numerous book titles find their way on to a "banned books" list every year, you may think they all have certain themes in common that elicit reactionary responses. However, "banned books" come from all subjects and from all ages. Unfortunately, banning books is nothing new. Even those who suggest censoring certain materials for inappropriateness may be surprised to learn that many of today's "classics," from some of the most prominent writers in the world, have made it on to a "banned books" list. Books are considered banned if they have been recommended for removal from public libraries, school libraries, or school curriculum. 

To highlight Banned Books Week and to promote the freedom to read with unfettered access to information, Snow Library encourages you to read some of the titles listed here that have been banned at one time or another. The first ten titles are the latest books to be added to the "banned books" list. The rest were recommended for removal from some school or public libraries between 1900 and the present.

Check out a list of banned books from the past 122 years.

For more about Banned Books Week, visit the ALA www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/banned