Syracuse University Libraries, in collaboration with the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of English, is hosting several events as part of Banned Books Week, Oct. 5-9. All events will take place in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons, Room 114 of Bird Library. All events are free and open to members of the University community.

This year’s Banned Book Week events include:

• The Libraries will feature a banned book display, “A Brief History of Book Censorship: from Ovid to Maya Angelou,” on the first floor of Bird Library from Oct. 5-9. The display was researched and created by Marissa Smith G’27 (School of Information Studies). There is also a Banned Books Week 2026 Research Guide for additional resources on book challenges, banning and intellectual freedom.
• A Banned Book Teach-In will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 2-3 p.m. This dynamic conversation on censorship, education and the right to read will be led by Teukie Martin, a Ph.D. candidate in inclusive education in the School of Education.
• A panel discussion, “Academic Freedom Under Pressure: Faculty Perspectives,” will be held Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 4-5 p.m. The discussion will explore both the enduring value of academic freedom and the threats confronting it today. Panelists  will include Roy Gutterman, director of the Tully Center for Free Speech and professor, magazine, news and digital journalism in the S.I. Newhouse  School of Public Communications; Thomas M. Keck, Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics in the Department of Political Science in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs; and Tom Perreault, professor in the Department of Geography and the Environment in the Maxwell School.
• A screening of the film “The Librarians” and a post-screening discussion will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 7. The screening will take place from 3:30-5:10 p.m., with the discussion to follow from 5:30- 6:30 p.m. The film is the winner of the 2026 Primetime Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking.
• “Meet a Banned Book!” will be held Thursday, Oct. 8, from noon-2 p.m. In this interactive event, volunteers bring challenged and censored titles to life that patrons can “check out.” This event is being coordinated by the student group Beyond the Book.
• A lecture on “Troll Maps and the Counter-Censors: On the Political Logics of Banning Cartography” will be held Thursday, Oct. 8, from 3- 4 p.m. Presented by Ian Spangler, visiting lecturer and interim director of the Spatial Analysis Lab at the University of Richmond. Spangler argues that we need a better vocabulary for understanding and disambiguating non-neutrality within cartography that bans and is banned.
• A Banned Book Read-Out and Raffle will be held Thursday, Oct. 8, from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Participants can select a passage from a banned/challenged book and read it aloud. Bring your own title, select from a curated compilation or choose from books on hand. Every reader will be entered into a raffle for prizes, and refreshments will be provided.

“Censorship has no place in a library—or in academia. When we expose ourselves to the widest possible range of ideas, we don’t just protect an invaluable principle—we generate new knowledge, sharpen our critical thinking and ensure that we continue to grow,” says Melinda Dermody, associate dean for academic success at the University Libraries. “That’s why we’re proud to stand alongside our community partners in providing a robust program throughout Banned Books Week and taking a strong stand against censorship in any form.”

Banned Books Week sponsors include the Departments of Religion; Women’s and Gender Studies; Art and Music History; LGBT Studies; Languages, Literatures and Linguistics; Political Science and Writing; as well as the Tully Center for Free Speech and the Maxwell School’s Community Geography Program. Thanks also to the Library and Information Science Student Association (LISSA), Beyond the Book and staff who volunteer to support these events.

For additional information, contact Patricia Giles pmgiles@syr.edu and/or Katherine Kidd kakidd@syr.edu