It's time to turn the page away from literary censorship

Published:Monday, October 7, 2013

Updated:Monday, October 7, 2013 00:10

Okanagan College Library | Creative Commons

Many schools around the nation celebrated banned books week this year from Sept. 22-28.

DePaul recently participated in the Library of Congresss Banned Books Week by hosting a read-aloud of titles that have been banned around the country. Although this issue may seem like a thing of the past, it is still crucial for people everywhere to understand the effects that censorship can have on our society.

DePaul understands the importance of having access to all kinds of knowledge, whether it comes from a simple textbook or books of a more provocative nature. Coordinator of Reference, Instruction, and Academic Engagement Heather Jagman, helped to organize the events last week.

I think all readers should be able to freely choose the type of material they want to explore, she said. If everyones access to a particular text is restricted because one person finds it objectionable, individuals may be deprived of information that is important to their learning and development.

Many students support this movement and DePauls decision to embrace it. Freshman Austin Woodruff feels very strongly about the topic of censorship of reading material.

I believe that censorship comes from a weak place in people, Woodruff stated. I believe that when people challenge certain books, it says a lot about who they are as a person.

Woodruff brings up an interesting point in his views of censorship. We tend to hate what we dont understand. Rather than inquiring more about certain topics, its easier for people to take the "ignorance is bliss" approach.

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It's time to turn the page away from literary censorship