SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield Technical Community College library opened an exhibit that puts a spotlight on book banning, which has been on the rise in recent years.
The exhibit features a “Periodic Table of Banned Books,” which includes titles of classics such as “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” “1984” by George Orwell, and “Go Tell It on the Mountain” by James Baldwin as well as more recent works about diversity and inclusion. Working with the Office of Multicultural Affairs, library staff put together the banned books exhibit and hosted an opening and reception on Sept. 21.
Sponsored by the STCC Office of Multicultural Affairs and the STCC Library, the event was held during the American Library Association’s (ALA) annual Banned Books Week Sept. 18-24.
“Book banning and censorship is a troubling trend in the United States,” said Erica Eynouf, Dean of the Library. “The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 729 challenges to library, school and university materials and services in 2021. The number of book challenges and removals has more than doubled since 2020.”
According to Eynouf, diverse books are being targeted. Five of the 10 most challenged books of 2021 feature LGBTQ+ topics or characters. Five are written by authors of color.
A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objects of a person or group. A ban is the removal of materials.
“We encourage the STCC community and the Western Mass community at large to come to the exhibit, which is installed permanently,” said Vonetta Lightfoot, operations manager for the Office of Multicultural Affairs. “The reason we came up with the Periodic Table is that STCC is a technical school. We thought this was a great way to highlight the books that are being challenged and being banned, and do it in a unique way that would get folks’ attention.”
The library is located on the second floor of the Ira H. Rubenzahl Student Learning Commons (Building 19).
At the reception on Sept. 21, STCC student Kissandra “Dani” Hernandez, a Springfield resident, said representation in literature is important.
“I was surprised – but not surprised – because I heard about a lot of issues going on this year with rights being taken away,” said Hernandez, who was holding a book titled “How to They/Them,” a book about nonbinary pronouns and identity which she said was one of the books being targeted.
“When I heard about all these books that were being banned, I was kind of upset, because people really do need that representation, and it’s being taken away,” Hernandez said.
Karolyn Burgos Toribio, student success navigator in the Female Leadership and Mentoring Program (LEAD), stopped by to see the exhibit.
“It’s impressive to see the passion that has gone into this installation,” she said. “Representation is needed in literature, and it’s being taken away. This is important to bring to light and let people be aware that this event is happening.”
Emily Butler, an outreach librarian at STCC, said Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. It brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.
“Unfortunately, the books that are most frequently challenged or banned in these libraries as we have seen especially recently tend to be books by authors of color or LGBTQ authors,” she said.
For more information, email stccbannedbooks@gmail.com.
The STCC Library has created a website that offers more information about banned books and censorship as well as the “Periodic Table of Banned Books.” Visit libguides.stcc.edu. ■