The Wyoming State Library can help you “Keep the Light On” during Banned Books Week and throughout the year with resources from the WSL’s professional library science collection, available at our location or through interlibrary loan. Visit our catalog and search for “intellectual freedom” or “banned books” for some good titles. If you need assistance finding items in the collection or finding other resources on intellectual freedom, contact the WSL’s Library Development Manager Brian Greene at brian.greene@wyo.gov or (307) 777-6339.
Is your library facing a book challenge? Janice Grover-Roosa, Director of the Western Wyoming Community College Hay Library, is the Wyoming Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Advisor. She provides services to association members and all Wyoming libraries on questions of intellectual freedom. Contact her for help at librarian@westernwyoming.edu or (307) 382-1701.
The American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom has a wealth of resources on their site both to be ready if someone wants a book removed from your shelves and to respond if it happens.
Always remember: the best time to decide how to handle a book challenge is before it ever happens. Take advantage of the resources available to you and be ready to defend intellectual freedom in your library.