Unpopular ideas to be celebrated

In the oppressive, fictional society created by author Ray Bradbury in the book "Fahrenheit 451," a fireman doesn't fight fires but instead burns objectionable books.

"For those of us who protect the freedom to read, this is what we don't want to happen," said Cory King, cataloging librarian.

Banned Books Week is Sept. 23-30 and the Carson City Library plans to commemorate it by encouraging people to celebrate the freedom to read whatever one chooses.

Major responsibilities for those who work in the nation's libraries are to ensure that people understand the dangers of censorship and provide them with "more than one perspective on any given subject," King said.

Though specific books seldom are banned today, many are challenged. This is an attempt to remove or restrict books, or other materials, because a person or group objects to it. A ban is the removal of the item, according to the American Library Association, which started the national commemoration in 1982.

Though the Carson City Library Board of Trustees hasn't needed to hear a request for a book to be banned, people occasionally question employees why some books or other materials are offered, said Sally Edwards, library director.

Most of the complaints come from parents. People can fill out a challenge form at the library, but it's a procedure rarely used, she said.

"Once we explain to a parent what the library does, they may not like it, but they understand," she said.

Children younger than age 12 can't obtain library cards unless a parent or guardian co-signs the application, which states that the adult is responsible for what the child checks out. Older children are themselves responsible for what they check out.

School libraries, however, operate differently because they have the legal responsibility to act in place of parents.

"Our librarians are careful about what they pick," said Dr. Mary Pierczynski, superintendent of the Carson City School District.

If parents have concerns about materials in any of the school libraries, "we'll listen to those concerns," she said.

The ALA considers free access to all types of information a right, not a privilege, enjoyed by all Americans. It has an Office for Intellectual Freedom, a concept it describes as the unencumbered ability for everyone to "seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction."

Edwards puts it more simply: "It's a term to denote that you decide what's OK to read. Not the government or anyone else. Just you."

• Contact reporter Terri Harber at tharber @nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111, ext. 215.

The 10 Most

Challenged Books of 2005 and why

• "It's Perfectly Normal" for homosexuality, nudity, sex education, religious viewpoint, abortion and being unsuited to age group;

• "Forever" by Judy Blume for sexual content and offensive language;

• "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger for sexual content, offensive language and being unsuited to age group;

• "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier for sexual content and offensive language;

• "Whale Talk" by Chris Crutcher for racism and offensive language;

• "Detour for Emmy" by Marilyn Reynolds for sexual content;

• "What My Mother Doesn't Know" by Sonya Sones for sexual content and being unsuited to age group;

• Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey for anti-family content, being unsuited to age group and violence;

• "Crazy Lady!" by Jane Leslie Conly for offensive language; and

• "It's So Amazing! A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families" by Robie H. Harris for sex education and sexual content.

Off the list this year, but on for several years past, are the Alice series of books by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain.

Source: American Library Association