MAINE, USA — Readers, booksellers and librarians are coming together for Banned Books Week, to highlight the importance of access to books and information.
According to the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom (ALA), there were more than 1,247 efforts to censor books and other resources in libraries in 2023.
From Sept. 22- 28, organizations in Maine are advocating for the right to read with creative literary displays.
All week long on the second floor of the Bangor Public Library visitors are sharing why challenged or banned books matter to them.
“We [put] an exhibit out so that people can see those books, take a look at them, and make their own choices,” Ben Treat, the director of Bangor Public Library, said.
He said while the books on display are not banned in Bangor they have been challenged or banned in other parts of the country.
"A lot of people really care about our banned books display because they care about the First Amendment. So the ability to have books, and not have banned books is closely tied to the First Amendment,” Treat explained.
The ALA reported 414 challenges to books in the first eight months of 2024.
That's why advocacy for Banned Books Week is important to Gibran Graham, owner of the independent bookstore The Briar Patch, in Bangor.
"Selling banned books is kind of our philosophy; we think that everyone should have the freedom to read," Graham said.
The Briar Patch's theme for its banned book display is "liberation" in response to how book bans disproportionately target books by and about people of color and the LGBTQ+ community.
"When you restrict certain books, from being able to be read, what you're doing is you're restricting people from being able to read and that's just not good for anyone or the community," Graham said.
Treat and Graham both said their mission this week is to spread awareness about having open access to books.
"I think that the more people that understand that this is happening in a lot of places across the country the better it is for them to help speak up against it," Graham said.