The Elements of Censorship: A Periodic Table of Banned Books

With the first few days of October upon us, I’m sure everyone’s minds have immediately jumped to fall festivities and everything pumpkin flavored, but many of us are glossing over one of the biggest library events of the year: Banned Books Week. Taking place Oct. 5-11, this week is an annual campaign designed to spread awareness about banned and challenged books across the country and ultimately celebrate the freedom to read.  

Founded by librarian Judith Krug, the first Banned Books Week was held in 1982 after there was a particularly large surge in the number of challenged books in schools, libraries, and bookstores. For the last 43 years, the last week of September or the first week of October has been dedicated to highlighting the right to free and open access of information for everyone. Although the American Library Association, or the ALA, is the most well-known sponsor of the event, libraries, bookstores, and publishers across the country partake in Banned Books Week, bringing the entire literature community together.  

                               

For this year’s Banned Books Week, staff at the Blough-Weis Library have been working hard at putting together a display to commemorate the occasion. Morgan MacVaugh, a public service specialist, and Jenny Roberts-Reilley, the resources & scholarly communications librarian, have created a display that combines the periodic table of elements, a staple of the science world, with books that have either been challenged or banned, with each element of the table directly corresponding to a different banned book. For example, BR, or Bromine, relates to Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes, a young-adult novel banned for having sexual themes, profanity, and violence, among other things.  

Included in this display are various symbols on each of the display cards that correspond to a key and represent why each book faced censorship. Ranging from themes of violence to LGBTQ+ themes, MacVaugh made sure to include books of all genres and age demographics to demonstrate that book banning stops at nothing. Some of the display cards are children’s books, others are graphic novels or works of nonfiction, but they all have the same thing in common: someone wanted to restrict access to the information the book was providing. “Every book has the right to be read, and we shouldn’t be taking away access just because of one person’s opinion on a singular book,” said MacVaugh in an interview. “Each book brings something that a reader needs to see in a library.” 

Paired along with the periodic table display is a written explanation by Roberts-Reilly about Banned Books Week and its history to inform students about why the display is important. “There’s often this misconception that students think WE are the ones banning the books. We are not,” says Roberts-Reilly. “We are featuring challenged books, not because we agree they should be banned, but to affirm our commitment to intellectual access and freedom.” One of the facts included in this write-up is the specific number of titles challenged in 2024, which is a whopping 2,452. As someone who has been a librarian for 16 years, Roberts-Reilly proclaimed that she never thought she’d see the day when thousands of books are being challenged, and the number just keeps growing exponentially with each year.  

If you are interested in learning more about Banned Books Week and what you can do to help, uniteagainstbookbans.org by the ALA is a great place to start. Looking through the downloadable book resume PDFS is a great resource, with each resume listing a synopsis, reviews and praise, and various awards and accolades the book has won in an effort to combat censorship. The website also provides guides to attending your local library and school board meetings, and even provides a form to report censorship, playing on the saying “If you see something, say something.” 

Starting Oct. 5th, the banned books display will be up on the first floor of the Blough-Weis Library. Additionally, student employees and librarians will have a set up for you to check out banned books in both Mellon Lounge and the Green Dot Spot. I encourage you to be an active member of your community and come check out both areas.” Libraries need support now more than ever from people who believe in freedom of information,” says Roberts-Reilly. Be a part of the change and help advocate for your freedom of speech and your right to receive information.  

 

 

Lily Papendick (‘28) currently attends Susquehanna University as a double major in creative writing and publishing & editing with a minor in marketing. Originally from Byram, NJ, Lily currently serves as the Content Editor for the Luxury Brand Marketing Club, a staff writer for the arts & entertainment section of The Quill, and is an active member of SU Dance Corps. In her free time, she enjoys writing poetry, listening to music, watching movies, especially her favorite rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You and spending time at the beach with her family.