āCensorship in librariesā focus of upcoming Ļć½¶Ö±²„event
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.āThe Ļć½¶Ö±²„ College of Arts and Sciencesā Institute for the Humanities this month hosts an expert panel discussing censorship in school and public libraries and the current attempts to ban books or restrict services.
Presented April 20 at 3:30 p.m., the panel will be streamed live on Facebook at . The public is invited to participate by posting questions or responses in the comments section, which will be incorporated into the ongoing conversation.
āI am so looking forward to speaking with these librarians about their respective communities and professions,ā said Julia Osman, director for the Institute for the Humanities and an associate professor of history.Ā āThe library is the heartbeat of our communities and our schools, and I have so many questions for our panelists on how the current political climate affects how our libraries function and what services and information they can provide. Iād like them to talk about why books get banned, and why these books should be available. We forget that some of our favorite childrenās books, such as āWizard of Oz,ā were once banned. I am hoping that this event will speak to people beyond Starkville, and invite us all to contemplate the important role of libraries in our daily lives.ā
Panelists include:
āDeeDee Baldwin, assistant professor and history librarian, MSUās Mitchell Memorial Library.
āRachel Cannady, education and online learning librarian, University of Texas at San Antonio, who previously worked at Ļć½¶Ö±²„and initiated ābanned bookā week in Fall 2014.
āPhillip Carter, director, Starkville Oktibbeha County Public Library System; president, Mississippi Library Association; and Southern region representative for the Association for Small and Rural Libraries board of directors.
āItaska āTassieā Rosamond, media specialist, Starkville Oktibbeha County Public School District.
For additional questions about the event, contact Osman at humanities@msstate.edu.
Part of MSUās College of Arts and Sciences, the Institute for the Humanities promotes research, scholarship and creative performances in the humanistic disciplines and raises their visibility, both within Ļć½¶Ö±²„ and the wider community.
Ā For more details about the College of Arts and Sciences or the Institute for the Humanities, visit or .
Ļć½¶Ö±²„is Mississippiās leading university, available online at .