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Virtual Book Display

Explore virtual collections of books and ebooks by monthly themes curated by University of Memphis librarians.

"I walk the corner to the rubble that used to be a library Line up to the mind cemetery now What we don't know keeps the contracts alive and movin' They don't gotta burn the books they just remove 'em"

~"Bulls on Parade" by Rage Against The Machine~

Did you know that 164 songs were banned from the radio right after 9/11 mostly for being critical of America, deemed insensitive or anti-American, or, in the case of John Lennon's "Imagine", it didn't fit with the call to war at the time. This also included every single song by Rage Against the Machine, who was always very critical of America. See article below for full list of songs.

https://www.kerrang.com/here-are-the-164-songs-that-were-banned-from-american-radio-after-9-11


 

Did you know that in response to the mass amounts of books being banned in the last couple years, the Brooklyn Public Library is now offering a free digital library card for anyone in the US age 13 to 21. They are calling this initiative Books Unbanned. 

Read the article here: https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/25/23041346/brooklyn-library-free-digital-cards-ebook-collection-banned-books

Non-Residents of Brooklyn can apply for a card by emailing: booksunbanned@bklynlibrary.org


 

Did you know that Collierville schools have pulled 300+ books from their schools to be evaluated, and possibly removed, for LGBTQ+ content. This was started in anticipation of Tennessee's "Age Appropriate Materials Act". 

Read all about it, including the list of books, here: https://bookriot.com/queer-books-in-collierville-schools/


 

Did you know that the ALA (American Library Association) reported in March 2022 that its' Office for intellectual Freedom had received 729 challenges to library, school, and university materials in 2021. There were only 156 in 2019. The number of individual books challenged in 2021 totaled 1,597 as some challenges reported contained more than one book. The ALA says approximately 90% of challenged books go unreported and the ALA cannot track "silent censorship" (when individuals hide, throw away, or just take books off shelves). 

Read full article here: https://www.npr.org/2022/04/04/1090067026/efforts-to-ban-books-jumped-an-unprecedented-four-fold-in-2021-ala-report-says