Sneak Peak! to the Scavenger Hunt at the 2nd Annual Freedom to Read Library Lock-In Night for 7th, 8th, and 9th Graders

Come on in and talk to your friendly teen librarians to find out how you can spend the night at the Library with friends, food, fun, and facts!

It's your Freedom to Read--Use it or loose it!!

Don't Read This!!!! Slaughterhouse-Five

Well, actually, please do read Slaughterhouse-Five, which was written by the late Kurt Vonnegut.

Or, if you prefer, check out our copy of the Slaughterhouse-Five cd-rom.

If that's not enough, we've also got the film, Slaughterhouse-Five.

What makes Slaughterhouse-Five so significant?

According to The Forbidden Library:

"Slaughterhouse-Five [was banned] in Rochester Mich. because the novel "contains and makes references to religious matters" and thus fell within the ban of the establishment clause. Challenged at the Owensboro, Ky. high School library (1985) because of "foul language, a reference to 'Magic Fingers' attached to the protagonist's bed to help him sleep, and the sentence: 'The gun made a ripping sound like the opening of the fly of God Almighty.' " Challenged, but retained on the Round Rock, Tex. Independent High School reading list (1996) after a challenge that the book was too violent. This particular novel is the recipient of a very cool plug in the movie, Footloose, starring Kevin Bacon."

Don't Read This!!!!

"Did you ever hear anyone say 'That work had better be banned because I might read it and it might be very damaging to me'?"-- Joseph Henry Jackson

O.K. I had a feeling you'd read this anyhow.

We at Silverpatch Library hope you take that same approach when it comes to Banned Books.

When someone says you shouldn't read a book, exercise your Freedom to Read with the knowledge that you are doing something important.

This summer, the Teens have been participating in the library's Summer Reading Program with a theme of Freedom to Read.

In honor of this First Amendment Right, here are some links compiled by the Teen Librarians.

Sneak Peak! to the 2nd Annual Freedom to Read Library Lock-In Night for 7th, 8th, and 9th Graders: August 10th

Go NOW and pick up your Freedom to Read Keychain Punchcard at the Teen Librarian's desk at any branch!

Accumulate 8 punches in order to be eligible to attend the Freedom to Read Lock-In for Middle Schools Students, grades 7, 8, and 9.

One of the highlights of the evening (which will last from 6:00p.m. until 8:00a.m. the next day!) is the Freedom to Read Scavenger Hunt. More details will follow, but get ready to meet new friends and have a great time!

For more information on the Lock-In, take a look at this earlier blog post, or contact Teen Librarians Lisa or Merci: mailto:ya@spl.org 574-926-0003.

Sneak Peak! to the 2nd Annual Freedom to Read Library Lock-In Night for 7th, 8th, and 9th Graders: August 10th

Have you picked up your Freedom to Read Keychain Punchcard at the Teen Librarian's desk at any branch?

8 punches is all it takes to be eligible to attend the Freedom to Read Lock-In for Middle Schools Students, grades 7, 8, and 9.

One of the activities we'll be doing is making a nightlight using Shrinky Dinks, pictures of Banned Book covers that you will use photoshop to manipulate and print onto the Shrinky Dink sheet, and a plain nightlight with the bulb and clamp included. For a sneak peak of the general process, take a look at this link!

For more information on the Lock-In, take a look at this earlier blog post, or contact Teen Librarians Lisa or Merci: mailto:ya@spl.org 574-926-0003.

Teaser: Saturday July 14th: Freedom to Read: Teen/Parent Discussion of The Giver

Hey, Teens and Parents!

Here's a chance for the parents out there to hear your teen discuss a book that has been viewed by some as controversial, and to learn about how your Teen Librarian makes choices on what to purchase for the Teen Department.

This program is geared towards Teens and their Parent(s) (or other adults of their choice).

No pre-registration is required.

Prior to the discussion group, both attendees should read one of the most challenged books in public and school libraries, "The Giver" by Lois Lowry.

During the Parent/Teen book discussion group, we will begin with the teens will discussing "The Giver," followed by the adults' reactions to the book and the discussion had by the teens.
Lastly, the Teen Librarian will briefly describe Silverpatch Library's book selection policies and procedures for teens, stressing the importance of free access for young adults.

For more information some of the challenges against "The Giver," take a look at Wally Hastings' Children's Literature Page on "The Giver".

Contact Teen Librarians Lisa or Merci for more information: mailto:ya@spl.org 574-926-0003.

1st Annual First Amendment Film Festival: Summer 2007

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

(The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution. The Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution was ratified on December 15, 1791)

In partnership with Silverpatch Library's Teen Summer Reading theme celebrating the Freedom to Read, the library will be hosting its 1st Annual First Amendment Film Festival.

A total of 9 films will be shown throughout the summer in the Krahn Theatre in the lower level of the Silverpatch Main Library. Following each film, a brief discussion led by students enrolled in the Film Studies Program at Silverpatch University will be held.

Thursday, May 31st: 6:30 p.m.

"The First Amendment Project," (Documentary) Taking freedom of speech as its collected theme, this series of short films offers a snapshot of life at the start of the 21st century and commentary on the erosion of First Amendment rights. Topics include the lawsuit filed against satirist Al Franken by Fox News for using their slogan in his book "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right;" New Jersey Poet Laureate Amiri Baraka's account of the battles he encountered over his 9/11-themed poem "Somebody Blew Up America;" and a consideration of the public's right to protest versus the need for security, set against the backdrop of the 2004 national Republican convention. (2004, 67m, Sundance Channel/Court TV)

Wednesday, June 13th: 6:30 p.m.

"Footloose," filled with pop tunes still heard today, details the life of a city boy who moves to a small town where rock music and dancing have been banned; he decides to stand up to the town and rallies his classmates to fight for the right to hold a senior prom with music and dance. (1984, color, 107m, Paramount Pictures)

Thursday, June 21st: 6:30 p.m.

"Inherit the Wind," director Stanley Kramer's stellar work based on the fictionalized Broadway play depicting the Scopes Monkey Trial and William Jennings Bryan's and Clarence Darrow's debate on teaching evolution in the public schools. (1960, 128m, United Artists/MGM)

Saturday, June 30th: 2:00 p.m.

"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," based on the book by Roald Dahl entitled "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," which was removed from a locked reference collection at the Boulder, Colorado Public Library in 1988, where it had been placed because the librarian thought the book espoused a poor philosophy of life. Amazon.com describes this film as "a favorite film of children around the world...every bit as entertaining now as it was when originally released in 1971...Wonka gains an edge of menace and madness that nicely counterbalances the movie's sentimental sweetness. It's that willingness to risk a darker tone--to show that even a wonderland like Wonka's can be a weird and dangerous place if you're a bad kid--that makes this an enduring family classic. (1971, 100m, Warner)

Friday, July 6th: 2:00 p.m.

"Little Sisters vs. Big Brother," This documentary, filmed over a 10-year period, centers on the debate over censorship as it follows Vancouver's Little Sister's Bookstore and its 20-year struggle with Canada Customs over the seizure of books. In the face of bigotry, bombings and repeated book seizures, it wages the most important legal battle in history against Canada Customs. (2002, Canada, 71m, Weissman/Homeboy Productions)

Thursday, July 12th: 6:30 p.m.

"Pump Up the Volume,": Behind the microphone the shy teenager Mark transforms into "Hard Harry," the DJ of a pirate radio station whose uncensored commentary challenging the status quo infuriates the local high school principal. After one of the station's listeners commits suicide, a hunt for the pirate DJ starts and he ends up in jail. He then calls on other teens to "seize the air" and others follow his example. (1990, 105m, New Line Cinema.)

Tuesday, July 17th: 6:30 p.m.

"The Color Purple": Based on the book by Alice Walker, which was challenged as appropriate reading material for an Oakland, California High School honors class in 1984 due to the book's "sexual and social explicitness" and its "troubling ideas about race relations, man's relationship to God, African history, and human sexuality." This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel was finally approved for use by the Oakland Board of Education after nine months of debate. Banned in the Souderton, Pennsylvania Area School District in 1992 as appropriate reading for tenth graders because it is "smut." Removed from the Jackson County, W. Virginia school libraries in 1997 along with sixteen other titles. (1985, 154m, Warner.)

Tuesday, July 24th: 6:30 p.m.

"The Lorax,": based on the book by Dr. Seuss, which was challenged in the Laytonville, California Unified School District (1989) because it "criminalizes the foresting industry." (1972, 52m, Universal Studios)

Tuesday, July 31st: 6:30 p.m.

"To Kill a Mockingbird," Based on the book by Harper Lee, which has been challenged quite a lot due to its racial themes. Challenged--and temporarily banned--in Eden Valley, Minnesota(1977); Challenged at the Warren, Indiana Township schools (1981), because the book "represents institutionalized racism under the guise of 'good literature'." After unsuccessfully banning the novel, three black parents resigned from the township human relations advisory council. Banned from the Lindale, Tex. advanced placement English reading list (1996) because the book "conflicted with the values of the community." (1962, 130m, Universal Studios)

Sources:

The Forbidden Library