As libraries nationwide grapple with increasing pressures to remove certain books from their shelves, the Boston Public Library (BPL) is taking a bold stand by extending its digital collection to teenagers and young adults across the United States. As BostonGlobe reported, the library recently announced its participation in the “Books Unbanned” initiative, initiated in 2022 by the Brooklyn Public Library, making Boston the third library system to join this network.
Under this initiative, individuals aged 13 to 26 residing in the United States can acquire a Boston Public Library e-card, enabling them to borrow e-books and digital audiobooks, according to the library’s statement. The primary goal of the program is to supplement the reading resources available to individuals in their local libraries.
David Leonard, the president of BPL, emphasized the library’s commitment to championing access for individuals facing content restrictions and who may struggle to advocate for themselves. Leonard stated, “By joining this initiative, we embrace the opportunity to champion the principle of access for individuals across the nation who face limitations in reaching content and are unable to advocate for themselves.”
In recent years, school libraries have been at the forefront of efforts to ban certain books, particularly those written by or about individuals in the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. The American Library Association reported a significant increase in calls to remove titles, not only from school libraries but also from public libraries nationwide.
The announcement coincides with the upcoming national Banned Books Week, commencing this weekend with BPL’s “Let Freedom Read: Statewide Read-In to Fight Censorship.” The event, scheduled for Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at the Central Library in Copley Square, invites adults and children to participate in a silent read-in, demonstrating solidarity in the fight against book banning.
According to the association, there has been a 20 percent increase in the number of unique titles subjected to book-banning efforts across the country from January to the end of August this year, compared to the same period in 2022.
Funded by private donations to the Boston Public Library Fund, the new program will provide readers with access to over 300,000 e-books and audiobooks. The library e-card, valid for one year, allows users to borrow up to 10 titles simultaneously from the BPL’s online catalog.
The “Books Unbanned” initiative was initiated by the Brooklyn Public Library in the spring of 2022, opening its digital collection to young adults and teens nationwide. A year later, in April, the Brooklyn library reported significant success with over 6,000 young people signing up for a free e-card and checking out approximately 100,000 books. Linda Johnson, president and chief executive of the Brooklyn Public Library, welcomed Boston Public Library to the initiative, emphasizing the collective effort to ensure free and open access to books from diverse perspectives for every young person in the nation.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
