Website to Promote Banned Books Week to Public

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) and the American Library Association (ALA) have launched a new website to help bookstores and libraries promote Banned Books Week. The website, www.bannedbooksweek.org, is intended to help the public learn more about this year's celebration, which will be held from September 27 through October 4, and it suggests ways they can support it. The key feature of the website will be a list that visitors can use to find participating bookstores and libraries in their communities.

"Hundreds of bookstores and libraries participate in Banned Books Week every year. Bannedbooksweek.org will make it easy for the public to find them," said ABFFE President Chris Finan.

Judith F. Krug, director of the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom, said the site will help promote Banned Books Week nationally as well as provide support for local efforts. "We wanted to increase the attention for Banned Books Week on the Web while simultaneously providing increased support for the bookstores and libraries that are mounting displays and sponsoring free speech events," she said.

Bookstores and libraries that would like to be listed on the new website can submit details of their Banned Books Week celebration directly on the site. After the information is reviewed, it will be posted.

To make it easy for booksellers to participate in the celebration, ABFFE has created a Banned Books Week Handbook, freely available at abffe.com. The handbook includes lists of banned and challenged books, great display ideas, and easy events, which are inexpensive to put together and sure to draw customer attention. Banned Books Week posters that can be downloaded and reproduced at a local copy shop for a nominal fee are also available. And links to other Banned Books Week resources include the ALA Banned Books Week Kit, which can be purchased for $50.

ABFFE is also having a sale on its popular FREADOM products, including a new FREADOM bookmark (100 for $5) and small FREADOM buttons in three colors that are sold in mixed bags of 100 ($20). FREADOM T-shirts are available in four colors and may be customized for a nominal fee.

For more information about Banned Books Week, visit abffe.com or contact Rebecca Zeidel at (212) 587-4025, ext. 13 or via e-mail to [email protected].