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April 3-9, 2022 is National Library Week, a time celebrate our nation's libraries, library workers' contributions and promote library use and support. This year's theme is Connect with your Library.

How can you connect with your ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ Library? Well, follow the blog (hi!) and you can definitely check out our social media (especially our much more active but also our less active ). You can also attend some of our Crafternoons or other events, such as those in collaboration with ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ Public Library's Library Fest (this year's theme is FOOD). You can stop in and use our resources, such as our , . You can Book-a-Librarian for research assistance and or refer their students to the library for assistance with research.

We're here and ready to connect with you in person or virtually!

The American Library Association kicks of National Library Week by releasing the annual , which contains the most frequently challenged books from the previous calendar year.

Learn more about banned books in from September 2021.

Click through to see the most frequently challenged books from the past calendar year and the stats on who, why, and where these challenges take place.

Why do book challenges take place? Public and school libraries often are where many challenges to collected materials take place due to "objectionable material," but what is objectionable often depends often on personal preference. The choice to challenge versus just not opting to read something (or requesting that something is removed from a collection so that no one else can read it) is a challenge to intellectual freedom.

The isn't just about book challenges, though. It addresses topics of importance within libraries over the past 12 months, such as diversity, fighting disinformation, the on-going library response to COVID-19, community connections, funding, advocacy, and lots more.

Check it out and check back later this week to see your ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ Librarians for National Library Workers' Day (maybe with some furry friends).