Banned Books (Geiger & Halpern)

Recommended Websites

What's the difference between banned and challenged books? Start here:

• About Banned & Challenged Books (ALA)

Banned book resources from the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom:

• 30 Years of Liberating Literature Timeline

• Banned/Challenged Classics

• Top Ten Frequently Challenged Books Lists

• 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books by Decade

• Most Frequently Challenged Authors pages of the 21st Century

• Extended List of Books Banned or Challenged

Bibliography of books books challenged, restricted, removed, or banned each year. This list is great for browsing:

• Books Challenged and/or Banned - 2013-2014 (PDF)

• Books Challenged and/or Banned - 2012-2013 (PDF)

• Books Challenged and/or Banned - 2011-2012 (PDF)

• Books Challenged and/or Banned - 2010-2011 (PDF)

• Books Challenged and/or Banned - 2009-2010 (PDF)

• Books Challenged and/or Banned - 2008-2009 (PDF)

• Books Challenged and/or Banned - 2007-2008 (PDF)

• Books Challenged and/or Banned - 2006-2007 (PDF)

• Books Challenged and/or Banned - 2005-2006 (PDF)

• Books Challenged and/or Banned - 2004-2005 (PDF)

Recommended Books

Check our library catalog for banned books, as well as works on the author and other related works. We'll keep this title on reserve at the desk for use in the library. It's a little dated but solid:

• Banned in the U.S.A.: A Reference Guide to Book Censorship in Schools and Public Libraries (2002)

Recommended Databases

Reminder: Download database passwords here or get them from library staff.

• • Books and Authors (Gale)

  • Search by title for brief summaries, awards, and reviews. Great source for more popular works, too. Tip: Pay attention to the source of the reviews.

• Literature Resource Center (Gale)

• Literary criticism, reviews and news, and more. Tip: Search by Name of Work to get fewer, more precise results.

Search Tips

Use quotation marks to find complete phrases, especially proper names and titles. For example:

"hunger games" or "of mice and men"

Combine keywords to get articles that match each of your important concepts. For example:

vonnegut AND banned

Check your spelling. If you don't find anything on your topic, sloppy spelling may be to blame!

Citing Sources & Academic Integrity

Why cite sources? In addition to avoiding the severe consequences of plagiarism, you cite sources to increase your own credibility, and because you are participating in an ongoing scholarly conversation. It is important for your readers to be able to follow your sources, so they can enter into the dialogue as well.

For this assignment, use your subscription EasyBib account through your Spyponders email address, which will give you access to paid features.

Go to EasyBib.com, click Register and the red Google icon to log on with your Spyponders account. You will always use this button to log on.

You will know you have access to the paid subscription features when you see the PRO and FOR INSTITUTIONS blue badges at the top of your screen. If you are missing these badges, ask the librarian for our coupon code!

Other resources for citation:

• Arlington High School Guide to Student Research Projects

  • Created by Arlington High School teachers for Arlington High School students, this guide explains the research process and what will be expected of you.

  • Research and Documentation Online (Diana Hacker)

  • Detailed explanation of in-text citations and works cited entries in perfect MLA format for a wide variety of sources.

Finding Images

These sites allow you to search for images with Creative Commons licensing:

• Creative Commons Search

• Wikimedia Commons

• Flickr Advanced Search (use the search options below)

• • General OneFile (Gale)

  • This periodical database is a good place to look for newspapers and magazine articles on possible challenges to your book as well as additional reviews. Tip: Put quotation marks around your title to search for that exact phrase.

Outside Resources

Robbins Library

• • If we don't have it, check to see if the Robbins Library has your book in by searching the Minuteman Online Catalog. Set the search type to Title and the location to Arlington to save time.

  • Tip: In their reference (non-circulating) collection, the Robbins has the Banned Books series by Facts on File, with two to ten page articles about many of your titles:

  • Banned Books: Literature Suppressed on Religious Grounds (REF 098 BAL)

  • Banned Books: Literature Suppressed on Sexual Grounds (REF 098 SOV)

  • Banned Books: Literature Suppressed on Social Grounds (REF 098 SOV)

  • Banned Books: Literature Suppressed on Political Grounds (REF 098 KAR)

Boston Public Library

• The Boston Public Library has a large collection of reference e-books that you can access from home through the Gale Virtual Reference Library (requires a BPL eCard number). You can also search for your banned book through Overdrive.

• Under Subjects, click on Literature. Then use the search box at the top right of the screen to search only within literature to get focused results, or browse the available titles.

• Tip: The 35 volumes of Novels for Students offers detailed articles on dozens of frequently taught works, including a critical overview, historical context, and discussion of the novel's themes and significance. Especially if your banned book is a classroom favorite, be sure to check these out!

Arlington Public Schools Policies

These documents outline policy for book challenges and selection in Arlington Public Schools:

• Procedures for Handling Challenges

• Reconsideration of Instructional Resources

• Materials Selection Policy