The Holdrege Area Public Library is celebrating Banned Books Week. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship and highlights the value of free and open access to information. The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted with removal or restrictions in libraries and schools across our country. Throughout history, different kinds of people and groups of all persuasions have attempted—and continue to attempt—to suppress anything that conflicts with or anyone who disagrees with their own beliefs. Books are still being banned and challenged today. A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A ban is the removal of those materials. While books have been and continue to be banned, part of this week’s celebration is the fact that in a majority of cases, the books have remained available.
