When visitors to the Prince George Public Library notice some books wrapped in yellow tape, they should know they are ones that have been banned or challenged in the past 10 years in Canada.
The books - challenged or banned in schools and libraries - are on the shelves to shine a light on national Freedom To Read Week, which runs from Feb. 20 to 26, said Neil Godbout, library communications co-ordinator.
"People expect to see yellow caution tape at a crime scene or around a dangerous area but not in the library," said Godbout.
"We wanted to show residents that all sorts of books have been challenged, even beloved children's books by J.K. Rowling and Laura Ingalls Wilder.
"Examples are The Golden Compass, a popular tween book for ages 10 to 12, and the third in the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," Godbout said.
Along with the books wrapped in yellow tape is an exhibit showing some of the 23 books that have been challenged at the Prince George Public Library since 2004.
"Freedom to Read Week isn't just about censorship," Godbout said. "Freedom of expression works both ways. It also allows people who are opposed to materials at the library to voice their opinion, too."
Prince George Public Library has a policy in place to allow residents to make a formal complaint about a book or other item in the library, if they are not satisfied after making their feelings known to staff in person. A Request For Reconsideration goes before senior management for a final decision.
"We take the concerns of each customer seriously but we have to balance their concerns against the rest of our 45,000 cardholders, who expect the library to have that material available," Godbout explained.
"Most of the Request For Reconsideration complaints have not asked us to ban a book, but to relocate it, say from the children's section to the teen section, or from the teens area to adult fiction."
