Philadelphia and Kansas City were gridiron rivals this past weekend at Super Bowl LVII, and the competition extended to the cities’ respective libraries.
The directors of Kansas City Public Library and the Free Library of Philadelphia had a friendly wager going: After the game, the losing city’s library director will host a special storytime wearing the winning team’s jersey. We can’t wait to see the photos of Kelly Richards, director of the Free Library of Philadelphia, in that Kansas City gear!
Despite the rivalry, the two libraries have teamed up to raise awareness about a growing problem in the United States: book banning. They’ve created TackleCensorship.org, a repository of resources to help protect the freedom to read. From a list of the top 10 most banned books in the country to information on relevant legislation to current statistics on book bans and challenges, the site is invaluable in the fight for the freedom to read. It even has information on how to obtain a library card if you live in Philadelphia, Kansas City, or anywhere!
Visit TackleCensorship.org to learn more.
Alarmed by the escalating attempts to censor books? Here are steps additional you can take now.
- Follow news and social media in your community and state to keep apprised of organizations working to censor library or school materials.
- Show up for library workers at school or library board meetings and speak as a library advocate and community stakeholder who supports a parent’s right to restrict reading materials for their own child but not for all
- Help provide a safety net for library professionals as they defend intellectual freedom in their communities by giving to the LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund.
- Educate friends, neighbors, and family members about censorshipand how it harms communities. Share information from Banned Books Week.
- Join theUnite Against Book Bans movement to learn what you can do to defend the freedom to read in your community.
