Readathon
Over the past year, the number of challenged library books has surged across the United States. Cornell University Library invites the campus community to special events on April 26, titled “Right to Read,” to honor and promote diversity of thought and expression found in books of all kinds.

A readathon—from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at Mann Library—kicks off the “Right to Read” daylong celebration, featuring excerpts from banned and challenged books, selected and read aloud by students, staff, and faculty members. Audience members are welcome to sit and listen to the whole readathon or to come and go as they please. A selection of banned books will be on hand for attendees to take home for free.

A Conversation and Reception
Books of all kinds stimulate the imagination, enrich the mind, and provide insights into our complex world. And yet, there is a growing list of books continually being challenged and banned in schools and libraries across the U.S. In addition, nowhere is censorship more restrictive than in prisons, where books and other educational resources are direly needed for building meaningful lives and preparing for re-entry into civic life. As PEN America stated in a recent report, “carceral censorship is the most pervasive form of censorship in the United States.”

Join us from 3-4 p.m. in Mann Library 160, for this conversation about how schools, libraries, and prisons are affected by censorship and how these institutions are providing access to books as wellsprings of knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Our guest speakers include:

• Rob Scott, executive director of the Cornell Prison Education Program and an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Global Development, Cornell University
• Leslie Tabor, director of Tompkins County Public Library
• Elaine L. Westbrooks, Carl A. Kroch University Librarian, Cornell University

A reception from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. in the Mann Library Gallery immediately follows this conversation.

Please contact Wendy Wilcox at ww83@cornell.edu if you would like to participate in the Readathon.