Freedom to Read Week
Freedom to Read Week is an annual event in Canada, initiated in 1985 by the Book and Periodical Council (BPC), aimed at promoting intellectual freedom. The week emphasizes the importance of the right to access information and the challenges posed by censorship. It serves as a platform for various stakeholders, including publishers, librarians, educators, and authors, to engage in discussions about the significance of free expression and the challenges faced by certain books and publications.
During this week, a resource kit is made available, which includes strategies for community involvement, full texts of intellectual freedom statements, and lists of books that have faced challenges. The kit also provides detailed plans for organizing events such as debates, readings, and public displays to raise awareness around censorship issues. Typically held in the last week of February, Freedom to Read Week is one of the few national initiatives in Canada dedicated to advocating for intellectual freedom, inviting diverse perspectives and fostering dialogue on the importance of unimpeded access to literature and ideas.
Subject Terms
Freedom to Read Week
Definition: Annual consciousness-raising event begun by Canada’s Book and Periodical Council in 1985
Significance: This promotion of intellectual freedom is one of the few national efforts of its kind in Canada
Canada’s Book and Periodical Council (BPC) began sponsoring Freedom to Read Week in 1985. The purpose of the event is to focus attention on intellectual freedom. The BPC, which is made up of members of associations representing publishers, university presses, booksellers, libraries, editors, writers, and others, produces an impressive resource kit in support of the event. The kit includes strategies for involving municipal councils and provincial governments; full texts of intellectual freedom statements; annotated lists and descriptions of challenged books; detailed plans for events such as debates, discussions, public readings, displays, and press conferences for public libraries, booksellers, and educators; a reading list; and a poster and press release. The kit is useful as a tool for the promotion of intellectual freedom and as study guide for censorship issues. Freedom to Read Week is generally held during the last week of February. It is one of the few national initiatives undertaken regarding intellectual freedom in Canada.