AUSTIN, Texas —
The Austin Public Library Foundation and local authors are taking steps to recognize books that some people may have restricted access to as part of Banned Books Week.
Representatives from the foundation say it's important to celebrate the freedom to read and access to information. They hope by making sure people have a way to read these books, those readers can find representation and learn from new perspectives.
"One of the most magical things about books is that they are gateways to empathy and to understanding and to connection," said Evan Griffith, an Austin children's book author. "Book bans and book challenges are really detrimental for an author's livelihood."
Griffith is also a member of Authors Against Book Bans and said it's important to uplift writers whose work is being blocked.
"I think it does a great disservice to all kids when they don't see the reality of their world or the diversity of their world reflected in the literature that they have access to," Griffith said.
Fellow Austin children's author Liz Garton Scanlon agrees.
"The argument that banning books protects them [the children] really flies in the face of what we know that access to books does, which is help kids understand the world," Garton Scanlon said.
She said most books that are banned or challenged are about marginalized communities.
"And the really sad part about that is that means fewer kids get to read these books," Garton Scalon said.
But advocates say those books are needed to make sure that people can see themselves represented or learn from communities that they aren't a part of.
"It is part of of making humans feel safe and and helping humans get to know each other and make them feel safe," Garton Scanlon said.
That's a mission of the Austin Public Library Foundation.
"We really want all Austinites to know that Austin Public Library is a big supporter of freedom to read," said Katherine Lamb, the programs manager for the foundation.
Librarians created banned book club kits so people could host their own book clubs and spread the word about these works.
"We want to make sure that everyone who comes to [the] Austin Library finds themselves in books here and in resources here," Lamb said.
On Wednesday, the foundation is hosting an author who wrote a book about an investigation into a school district's censorship. The foundation will also host a workshop on how to advocate for books as part of a Banned Books Week wrap-up event on Friday. You can find more information about their events here.