With news coming in from all over the country about an alarming amount of banned books lists, the New York Public Library wants to do something about it. Now through May, NYC libraries are offering free access to banned books to people all over the country!
Anyone 13 and older can browse, borrow and read the collection of banned books using the library’s free e-reading app, SimplyE on any Android or iOS device. No library card is needed to access the “Books For All” collection which has no wait times and has hundreds of out-of-copyright and public domain books. Some of the most commonly banned books you can find include The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender.
According to TimeOut, New York Public Library President Anthony W. Marx has stated that “These recent instances of censorship and book banning are extremely disturbing and amount to an all-out attack on the very foundation of our democracy. Knowledge is power; ignorance is dangerous and breeds hate and division. Since their inception, public libraries have worked to combat these forces simply by making all perspectives and ideas accessible to all, regardless of background or circumstance.”
The Brooklyn Public Library is also allowing youths ages 13-21 to apply for a free eCard from BPL so they can access the library’s eBooks. The card, which will be good for one year, is available nationwide and will also act as a resource for teens locally.
Those interesting in applying for the card can email BooksUnbanned@bklynlibrary.org, or message the Library’s s teen-run Instagram account, @bklynfuture. Normally, there is a $50 fee for out-of-state cards, however that fee will be waived. Once given the card, users will have access to “frequently challenged books” (aka Books UnBanned) with no holds or wait times through the BPL online catalogue and the Libby app.
The NYPL has made the banned books available to all by a partnership with Hachette Book Group, Macmillan Publishers, Scholastic and authors of selected titles and in response to several groups’ efforts to remove books from libraries. Last year, the BPL states The American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom received more than 700 complaints––the most in 20 years.
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