Freedom To Read Week events well attended

Chinook Regional Library’s Dr. Jean McKendry was thrilled with the participation of local literary enthusiasts in Freedom To Read events.

Hosting groups comprised of authors, branch librarians, school librarians, and self-proclaimed “book worms”, the Chinook Regional Library held two events this past week to honour and discuss books that are frequently challenged or banned in public and school libraries.

Organized nationally by the Freedom of Expression Committee and the Book and Periodical Council, Dr. McKendry was the local champion for the Freedom to Read events, aimed at upholding the freedom of expression and intellectual freedom as set out in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Dr.McKendry was thrilled with the participa- tion of local literary enthusiasts.

“Thanks to everyone who participated in the local Freedom to Read events; clearly Intellectual Freedom is valued by many people in southwest Saskatchewan.”

Last Thursday and Friday, Shaunavon and Swift Current hosted their respective events. At Urban Ground in Swift Current, an animated discussion took place among attendees, with topics ranging from children’s books, to Scandinavian crime fiction, to hate literature.

Passages from titles like “Underground to Canada”, “Catcher in the Rye”, “And Tango Makes Three”, “The Grapes of Wrath”, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, “Ulysses”, “Lord of the Flies” were read aloud and then discussed in an open forum.

Swift Current Branch Library Interim Librarian Andrea McCrimmon noted in the discussion that the list of challenged books is composed primarily of books that have been listed due to various individual opinions.

“There is a difference between saying YOU don’t want to read a book, and saying a whole group of people should not read a book.”

The Chinook Regional Library contains 32 branch libraries and 14 corner libraries, serving a population of 46,184 across the Southwest.