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Any teenager in the U.S. can now get unmetered access to banned and challenged books thanks to the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), which announced this week that teens can now register for a library card and receive access to hundreds of banned and challenged books in digital and audiobook formats.
Books UnBanned is a teen-led initiative from BPL that aims to push back against recent attempts to remove reading materials from schools and libraries in the U.S. By giving people ages 13 to 21 a library card, the program is providing access to BPL’s digital catalogs regardless of location, with the hope of reaching marginalized teens who frequently find themselves targets of bigoted and racist attacks.
Nick Higgins, the chief librarian at BPL, says that in the first two days since the initiative was announced, around 200 teenagers have signed up, with over 700 applications received in total. He says that teenagers should not have to walk into a library only to be told they don’t belong because they don’t see themselves reflected in the collections.
“Intellectual freedom, the right to read, is foundational to any functioning society,” Higgins told Motherboard. “Any hope for civil discourse among people of a diverse community requires having access to multiple points of view, and it just makes us richer in the long run.”
www.vice.com
Books UnBanned is a teen-led initiative from BPL that aims to push back against recent attempts to remove reading materials from schools and libraries in the U.S. By giving people ages 13 to 21 a library card, the program is providing access to BPL’s digital catalogs regardless of location, with the hope of reaching marginalized teens who frequently find themselves targets of bigoted and racist attacks.
Nick Higgins, the chief librarian at BPL, says that in the first two days since the initiative was announced, around 200 teenagers have signed up, with over 700 applications received in total. He says that teenagers should not have to walk into a library only to be told they don’t belong because they don’t see themselves reflected in the collections.
“Intellectual freedom, the right to read, is foundational to any functioning society,” Higgins told Motherboard. “Any hope for civil discourse among people of a diverse community requires having access to multiple points of view, and it just makes us richer in the long run.”
Every Teen in the US Can Now Get Free Access to Banned Books
In response to book bans targeting Black and LGBTQ+ people, the Brooklyn Public Library is offering digital library cards to anyone ages 13 to 21.
www.vice.com
