Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies News

Banned Books Week events were successes

October 3rd, 2024

Libraries celebrated Banned Books Week this year by hosting three events—a Banned Books Buffet on September 25, and a community workshop at the West Lafayette Public Library and campus seminar in Stewart Center on September 26. 

The buffet featured selections of Purdue Libraries’ collection of banned and challenged books on display for visitors to explore as they stopped by.

Shannon Oltmann, associate professor in the School of Information Science at The University of Kentucky, spoke at both the community workshop and campus seminar. She wrote the book “Practicing Intellectual Freedom in Libraries” and edited “The Fight Against Book Bans: Perspectives from the Field.” Her work has been funded by the American Library Association and the Institute of Museum & Library Services. Oltmann has presented her research at numerous academic and professional conferences and webinars and has published widely.

Attendees enjoyed listening to and gaining valuable insight from Oltmann as she focused her discussion on school, public, and academic librarians, and library workers. She discussed topics such as intellectual freedom, book challenges, creating library politics and training for library workers, censorship, and ways to overcome censorship in society at the community seminar.

At the campus seminar, Oltmann touched on similar topics—intellectual freedom, censorship, and ways to overcome censorship in society—from a student, faculty, and staff perspective.

A special thanks to Shannon Oltmann for sharing her knowledge and insights at both talks, and Melissa Chomintra, Jessie Scott, and Jason Filer for planning and organizing these events. 

Watch the community workshop.