Cybrary takes look at banned books

The Carrboro Cybrary is recognizing this week as the 23rd anniversary of Banned Books Week.

Co-sponsored by the American Library Association and the American Booksellers Association, the nationally celebrated week aims to inform the public about challenged and banned books.

The Banned Books Week is one the first events that the Cybrary, which opened at the end of August, has hosted.

Susan Brown, the full-time librarian at the Cybrary, organized the seven part exhibit.

The exhibit, which runs through the end of October, includes a display of the top 10 banned or challenged books of the 1990s, as well as a Banned Books Hall of Fame.

The Banned Books Week is designed to raise awareness about the right to read, which is a democratic freedom, Brown said.

The Cybrary's Banned Books Hall of Fame includes books ranging from The Bible to children's books like "Where's Waldo?"

The Cybrary has information about both challenged and banned books in its display.

Brown said a book is often challenged by a parent or a teacher who objects to a book in the school curriculum. The book is officially banned when it is removed from a curriculum.

"The biggest reasons are sex, profanity and racism," she said.

People who try to ban books do so with good interest but restrict other's rights in the process, she said.

The Bullshead Bookstore, at Student Stores, also has a table dedicated to the week.

"We try to do something every year because it is an important issue," said Erica Eisdorfer, manager of the bookstore.

Bullshead's display includes a substantial collection of banned books attached with a note about why each book was challenged.

"The reasons are disturbing and often hysterical," Eisdorfer said.

Brown said people often are surprised to learn what books have been challenged.

"A lot of people have looked at (the display)," said Meghan Gambling, a Bullshead employee. "It's been really successful.

"A lot of these books I didn't know had been banned at all," Gambling said.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.