It is banned book week. I hate to be yet-another-copy-cat but, I have to simply say, “ditto” to Jessamyn West’s recent post on banned book’s week:

Banning books is bad. Challenging books is an exercise in free speech and a totally appropriate way of giving community feedback on library selection policies. Lumping challenged and banned books together confuses two different issues, to my mind. — Jessamyn West

What is the difference?

What is the difference between what?

The difference between banning books and challenging them is that banning a book implies some authority has made the book unavailable to the public. Whereas, challening a book implies questioning its place a specific collection. The outcome of banning is severe. The outcome of challenging could be many thing (potentially including banning, but also including reclassification).