Banned Books
*image courtesy of Freedom to Read Foundation
Welcome Banned Book readers! Please use the resources below to conduct your research on book banning and censorship.
DID YOU KNOW?
Banned Books Week is celebrated during the last week of September in order to spread the word about the dangers of censorship and the right to free/open access to information.
Check out this interactive timeline about Banned Books. Maybe your book is on it!
Print Sources
We've made a book cart for you with some useful print resources. For additional assistance, we've broken down some of the sources by chapter/specific page numbers that might be well suited for your topic.
Click the image below to access this information.
*image courtesy of npr.org
If you want to search for a print source on your own, click here to search our catalog.
Tips to Search for Resources
Try using the following KEYWORD/SUBJECT TERMS when searching for electronic resources as well as print sources (index/table of contents):
Academic Freedom Ban Banning Banned Book(s)
Censor Censorship Challenge Education First Amendment
Freedom of Information Freedom of Press Freedom of Speech School Student Rights
Databases (Electronic Resources)
The Databases are a great place to find information on your topic. Click on the images to access the databases.
If you're not at school, use pages 11/12 of your Agenda Book for links, usernames, and passwords.
We've listed a few that we think will be most helpful, but if you want to see all of the RHS databases, click here.
These databases above offer overviews on a wide variety of subjects, including information about your novels and censorship in general. A great place to start your search.
These 2 databases are great for pro/con topics... which certainly includes banned books/censorship.
Search "censorship" in the Bloom's database, or the title of your text. This database features literary criticism of texts.
Check out our e-book collection-- search your title or "censorship" to find information.
Websites (Electronic Resources)
The websites below may help you in your search for sources on book banning/censorship. Please review them to make sure they are credible and therefore acceptable to use for your project.
*image courtesy of IsaacMao via Flickr
American Library Association's Banned and Challenged Books Site
ALA's page on School Censorship
ALA's List of 20th Century Literature that has been banned and 21st Century Banning Statistics as well as
Lists of recently banned books by year.
National Council of Teachers of English-
Maintains a page on censorship issues including a list of kinds of censorship/the ways materials are censored.
Censorship: Wielding the Red Pen, from the University of Virginia Libraries, is an online interactive list of banned books. Sections like "Eyes of a
Child" and "785 Dirty Words" are particularly relevant.
National Coalition Against Censorship-
Has an online project called Kids' Right to Read that contains other resources with potentially relevant definitions and information such as grounds for censoring book.
Parents Against Bad Books in Schools is a group from Virginia.
Time Magazine-
Click here to check out articles about Book Banning from Time Magazine
Magazine Articles (via our school databases)
Here are just a few of the many articles that you can find on the databases listed above!
1. Defending free speech in the digital age by Lee Bollinger
2. Censorship from the Gale Encyclopedia of Everyday Law
3. Read me if you can: Censorship Today by James Kirchick
Other Resources
The Howard County Public Libraries have a multitude of book/awesome electronic sources that we don't have here at RHS.
Click here to access the homepage of the Howard County Public Libraries.
Just a reminder that you do need a library barcode to use databases, reserve, or check out materials.
Research Tips
Don't forget to be a good researcher!
Make sure that you take accurate notes and record citations/source information for your resources.
Check out the Media Center's Citation page, or think about using the following tool to help you stay organized:
If you need ANY help at all, please ask a Media Specialist!
*image taken from librarybonanza.wordpress.com