May 04, 2023
Morris Library’s Special Collections to celebrate donation of 500 books addressing diversity
Morris Library’s Special Collections Research Center is hosting a celebration Friday, May 5, to recognize the donation of more than 500 books from the Student Multicultural Resource Center.
The collection pertains to the experiences and issues faced particularly by the LGBTQ+ community, women, African Americans, immigrants and Native Americans. The topics also include women’s studies, religion and higher education. The event is from 4 to 6 p.m. in the library’s Hall of Presidents and Chancellors.
The event follows the American Library Association’s (ALA) inaugural Right-to-Read Day on April 24. In 2022, there were 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources, the highest number of attempted book bans since the ALA began gathering data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago, and nearly double the 757 challenges reported in 2021. A record 2,571 titles were targeted for censorship, 38% more than in 2021. Of these titles, the vast majority were written by or about members of the LGBTQ+ community and people of color.
The donation will become part of the McCoy First Amendment (Freedom of Speech) collection. The McCoy collection began in the 1960s to support the right to read by preserving books that had been challenged or spoke to issues of disadvantaged groups. Along with challenged books ranging from adult to children’s literature, the collection preserves many volumes on health care.
The rare books collection is available to the entire community for reading in Special Collections’ reading room. They cannot be checked out. Thousands of volumes, most of which cannot be found online, are preserved in the collection.
Special Collections is open from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.