Meridian Community College is being bold in displaying books once considered dangerous. The college is celebrating Banned Books Week.
“It’s just a time to observe our right to read and our freedom from censorship here in the United States, which is something a lot of us take for granted,” said Suzanne Grafton, the technical services librarian at MCC.
Every day around the world, books are banned or censored due to unpopular beliefs, and this week, librarians, teachers, and students are coming together to support the freedom to read whatever you want.
“Every year in public and school libraries, groups and parents will ask that certain books to be taken off the shelves because they don’t think they’re appropriate for whatever reason,” said Grafton.
Some of the greatest works of literature and many popular books have been the target of such scrutiny.
“For instance, The Catcher in the Rye, Harry Potter, the Eclipse books by Stephanie Myers,” said Grafton.
She explained that MCC supports the diversity of ideas and therefore strives to include even the most controversial titles in its library.
“Everybody has their own agenda in publishing. Every author has their own agenda, so we feel that it’s best to represent various viewpoints to give the students a chance to read for themselves
and reach their own conclusions.”
To observe Banned Books Week, MCC has a display of previously banned books set up in the lobby of the L.O. Todd Library.
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