by Justin Darden
A local Nashville library has come up with a unique campaign to encourage people in Tennessee to read diverse books from different authors as a way to respond to the issue of prohibiting people from displaying certain types of books in school libraries and as a result of legislation that prohibits the display of certain books in school libraries across Tennessee.
The “Freedom to Read” Campaign, an initiative that was created by the Nashville Public Library, was designed to address the issue of book banning in Tennessee schools. According to Ed Brown, Spokesperson for the Nashville Public Library, the Freedom to Read Campaign was designed to let people know that the Nashville Public Library had different types of books people are looking for, even if they were removed from public schools. Brown said that he was not surprised by the types of books that were being removed from public school libraries. He said the campaign was created to inform people if they wanted to read any book that was on the banned book list, then they can obtain that particular book with an NPL card. He also said that when it comes to reading any type of book, especially from the Nashville Public Library, intellectual freedom is an important part of democracy.
“We always take the fundamental stand of intellectual freedom is not only a core library value but a core value of a thriving democracy and if we want the United States to continue to be a thriving democracy, we got to have intellectual freedom,” said Brown.
Brown said people can come to the Nashville Public Library to find a book they are looking for if that particular book is unavailable at another library. He said the goal of the Freedom to Read Campaign was to make various books by different authors across different viewpoints available to everyone. Brown also said that by people having a Nashville Public Library card, there will never be a book banned or censored and it gives the visitor free access to any book at NPL. When it comes to banning books due to language some people find offensive, Brown said that people will not be forced to read the banned book.
“Intellectual freedom is true freedom in the sense that if you want to read these materials, they should be made available to you, but if you don’t want to read them, nobody should be able to force you to read them,” said Brown.
When it comes to intellectual freedom, Brown said that people have the right to choose what book they want to read and what book they do not want to read. He also said parents should be involved in their child’s reading lives and become the primary decision-makers for the books their children read. He also said that a banned book, such as “Maus,” which was banned by the McMinn County School Board, can become available at the Nashville Public Library with an advance copy of the book.
The Freedom to Read campaign comes as state lawmakers in Tennessee, according to NPR, have passed a law that required school libraries in Tennessee to screen books for content and another law that would punish school libraries in Tennessee for failing to remove books from the library that would be considered “obscene.” According to an opinion poll reported by The Tennessean, 58% of voters were opposed to book bans while only 15% of respondents supported banning certain books. Kent Oliver, NPL Director, said the Freedom to Read campaign was designed to bring people from different backgrounds together.
“This campaign is our way of bringing our community together in our shared Freedom to Read, which is essential to sustaining our democracy,” said Oliver in a press release.
Since the Freedom to Read Campaign began, the Nashville Public Library had issued 5,000 limited edition “I Read Banned Books” cards to readers in Davidson County, according to NPR. The NPL, according to its website, had given out 4,205 cards to the residents of Davidson County.
