Calgary Public Library fights back against book bans with a Book Sanctuary

They might be officially banned but the Calgary Public Library has given 22 books a sanctuary where they can be shared with the community.

In celebration of Freedom to Read Week, the Calgary Public Library is opening a Book Sanctuary showcasing works of literature that have been challenged or banned, either in Canada or other places around the world.

The program was inspired by a Chicago Public Library initiative, says Calgary librarian and program creator Amanda Arbuthnot.

“They put a call to action for libraries across North America to start their own book sanctuaries,” Arbuthnot says.

“It’s a display of books to show Calgarians what some of the conversations [are] that are being had about intellectual freedom.”

Limiting intellectual freedom

Arbuthnot believes banning books not only destroys knowledge and cultural heritage but also limits intellectual diversity.

“I think banning books is a disaster, I don’t think you can overstate the impact of it,” she adds.

As new ideas and concepts arise within society, some people are uncomfortable with the changes. Arbuthnot says instead of treating these ideas with curiosity, people shut down conversations.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is one of many books that recently faced a ban in the United States, but will be on display at the Calgary Public Library’s Book Sanctuary.

“We have that book with a little write-up next to it saying that Atwood created this unburnable book, but the question I ask is, does this help further the cause? Or does this make it feel more combative?” Arbuthnot says.

Amplifying the freedom to read

Open dialogue and debating the topics presented within certain books is at the base of intellectual freedom, which Arbuthnot and the Calgary Public Library want to amplify.

Arbuthnot points out that the United States and Canada have different laws regarding intellectual freedom and book banning, and she wants to celebrate Canada’s laws during Freedom to Read Week.

“While I am horrified by what’s happening in America, and we are obviously always influenced by their cultural forces, I also like to acknowledge that in Canada we seem to have a much more tolerant context,” she says.

“Part of that is because our right to read is actually protected by law.”

While Canada may be more liberal when it comes to books, the country’s racialized and queer authors are still targeted the most by challenges and bans.

“If someone were to ask an American librarian this question, I think the automatic answer would be racialized authors, queer authors, or books that have trans characters, or young gay men, those seem to be the books most targeted,” Arbuthnot says.

“And in Canada, that is certainly the case as well, we kind of see that cultural influence happening.”

Backlash for other reasons

There’s another trend happening now, too.

“There is a lot of nuance happening. Harry Potter is a great example. It has been challenged since it was first published for focusing on the occult,” Arbuthnot says, adding the series’ author has come under fire for her controversial views on the transgender community.

“But more recently you see a lot of pushback against J.K. Rowling and folks not wanting to read the books anymore because of her personal views.”

Any book is at risk of being challenged, as Arbuthnot says everyone interprets things differently when reading.

“It’s really important to approach all of these conversations with a sort of openness to what other people are saying.”

Seeking out diversity

While this display is meant to highlight banned books, Arbuthnot says it also encourages readers to seek out books from voices that are often underrepresented.

“What happens when we don’t have other people’s stories is we don’t understand the world,” she says.

“Books can provide you insight into people’s lives you haven’t met before, and only good can come of that.”

Reading banned books is important, but there are also a lot of incredible books that are being missed due to the diversity of their authors.

“The best way to fight book bans is to read diverse books. Read a book by a racialized author, by a queer author, by an author who’s a different gender, age, different cultural background,” Arbuthnot says.

“Read widely and you will inevitably see the value of letting other people have that experience too.”

The Book Sanctuary will be available at the Calgary Central Library until Feb. 26 before moving to the rest of the city’s libraries throughout March. 

A Handmaid’s Tale and Harry Potter are the most well-known titles on the list, but there are 20 others. Here is the full list.