Blaine County Library

The Blaine County Library Board of Trustees will hold their regular monthly meeting Monday October 2nd at 4:30 p.m. This will be the September meeting.

As September comes to a close, we are preparing for several events in October. Next week, October 1-7, 2023, is Banned Books Week. Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read and spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. For more than 40 years, the annual event has brought together the entire book community — librarians, teachers, booksellers, publishers, writers, journalists, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted for removal or restriction in libraries and schools. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.

In a time of intense political polarization, library staff in every state are facing an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago. The unparalleled number of reported book challenges in 2022 nearly doubles, the 729 book challenges reported in 2021. Of the record 2,571 unique titles targeted for censorship, most were by or about LGBTQIA+ persons and Black, Indigenous, and people of color.

The theme for Banned Books Week 2023 is “Let Freedom Read.” When we ban books, we’re closing off readers to people, places, and perspectives. But when we stand up for stories, we unleash the power that lies inside every book. We liberate the array of voices that need to be heard and the scenes that need to be seen. Elle will have a display of Banned and Challenged books for patrons to view and checkout. Let freedom read!

October 7th and 8th will find us at Finley’s Pumpkin Patch from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This is a great family activity. Come out get a pumpkin and support the library! We will have treat bags for all the kiddos. It will be different this year without Kenny, but Jeff and his family will be there to continue the tradition.

The library will be closed Monday, October 9th in observance of Indigenous People’s Day. We will also be closed Tuesday and Wednesday October 10-11, for staff meetings. We will be open regular hours, Thursday October 12th, and Friday October 13th. We will have LEGO Club on Thursday and the movie on Friday that week.

We are pleased to announce that Blaine County Library is participating in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program. Children from 0-5 years old are eligible. If you have a child, grandchild, niece, or nephew who is eligible, sign them up! Only a small portion of eligible children in Blaine County are currently receiving books through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. We have forms available in the library to register a child or you can register them on-line at http://www.imaginationlibrary.com/checkavailability. Once a child is registered, they will receive a free book in the mail in approximately 6-8 weeks.