Every year, the American Library Association compiles data on challenges and bans to books nationwide in preparation for Banned Books Week—which takes place from September 22nd through the 28th this year. The week serves to bring attention to the bans and as a celebration of the freedom to read.  

The J. Willard Marriott Library celebrates this week through tabling events, displays and a featured speaker. This year, associate professor and author Emily Knox will be speaking on October 2nd on the topic of “Book Banning, the Culture War and the Election.”  

“Over the past three years, materials in public schools and libraries have been the target of numerous censorship attempts,” explains Knox. “Why do people ban books? What are they trying to accomplish? How does this relate to other attacks on public institutions? These are a few of the questions I will address.” 

The event is free and open to the public and will be livestreamed on YouTube. 

About the Speaker

Emily is an associate professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include information access and intellectual freedom and censorship. She is a member of the Mapping Information Access research team. 

Her most recent book, Foundations of Intellectual Freedom (ALA Neal-Schuman) won the 2023 Eli M. Oboler Prize for best published work in the area of intellectual freedom. Her previous book, Book Banning in 21st Century America (Rowman & Littlefield), is the first monograph in the Beta Phi Mu Scholars’ Series. She has been interviewed by media outlets such as NPR and the New York Times and also testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on book banning. Emily is chair of the board of the National Coalition Against Censorship and the editor of the Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy. She received her Ph.D. from the doctoral program at the Rutgers University School of Communication and Information. 

Learn more about Emily Knox.