Homewood, Flossmoor libraries marking Banned Book Week

The Homewood and Flossmoor Public Libraries are joining with the American Library Association (ALA) this week to mark the 40th anniversary of Banned Books Week.

Special displays will be up through Saturday, Sept. 24, information sheets on banned books are available and several programs are being used to call attention to the ongoing attempts to remove books from shelves nationwide.

Angela Messaglia, a children’s librarian at Homewood Public Library, is planning a We Read Banned Books Storytime for children birth to age 7, at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21. She is including “Strega Nona” by Tomie de Paola, which is on the banned books list because it deals with witchcraft, and “The Paper Bag Princess” by Robert Munsch, banned because it’s considered anti-family.

“Sadly, banning books has become a reality around our country. Yet, I still wanted to share banned books with our young patrons because it’s important to emphasize the freedom to read what you want,” Messaglia said. “Even if a particular person doesn’t like a book topic, there are other readers out there who want to read these books. It’s important for young readers to see themselves or other walks of life in stories. 

“Even if books are banned, that doesn’t mean they’re eliminating these stories in real life. That’s why it’s important to share these stories, so we can grow and learn as people.”   

The teen librarian at the Homewood library has created a Banned Books puzzle grab & go kit. Teens will use clues and ciphers to solve the puzzle. Once the puzzle is complete, the teens can return the puzzle to be entered into a raffle. 

Amanda Heinemann, adult services librarian in Flossmoor, has been making Banned Books displays at libraries the past 20 years, and admits “I’m never surprised (by the selections) because I have found over the years the same types of things tend to get challenged. LGBTQ books have always had a presence on those lists, so I’m not surprised at all. It’s totally expected that half of the books on the 2021 list are going to be LGBTQ authors.”

Books on the ALA list include everything, from classics such as John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men,” to new publications including “Queer Nation” that got a PG-13 rating on Amazon. The ALA compiles the list using information from librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers and readers of all types “in shared support of the freedom to seek and express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.”

According to ALA: “The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted for removal or restriction in libraries and schools. 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.” The Banned Books list can be found at www.ala.org.

Heinemann said Flossmoor hasn’t had to act on many patron concerns about what’s available at the library. She said she makes book purchases using information from magazines for librarians to learn what’s trending. She’s checked out Amazon and Target for popular reads.

“Every library can have different demographics, different interests that their patrons are in to, so you also buy according to that,” Heinemann said. “There are some libraries where certain series and authors are checked out like wildfire, and sit elsewhere, so you have to pay attention to what people want and what they’re asking for.”

Krystal Webb, a teen services staff member in Flossmoor, said some publishers have taken adult books and edited them for young readers, including Trevor Noah’s “Born A Crime” and Michelle Obama’s “Becoming.”

Messaglia urges everyone to support their library. September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month. Every Homewood resident who gets a library card this month will be entered into a raffle.