Syracuse University Celebrates 2026 Banned Books Week

Sept. 24, 2026, 3 p.m.

Updated on October 9, 2026

Syracuse University Libraries, in collaboration with The College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of English, is hosting several events as part of Banned Books Week October 5 – 9, 2026. All events will take place in Bird Library’s Peter Graham Scholarly Commons (Room 114). 2026 Banned Book Week events include:

• The Libraries will feature a banned book display titled “A Brief History of Book Censorship: from Ovid to Maya Angelou” on the 1st floor of Bird Library from October 5 – 9. The display was researched and created by Marissa Smith G’27 (School of Information Studies). There is also a Banned Books Week 2026 Research Guide for additional resources on book challenges, banning and intellectual freedom.
• Tuesday, October 6, 2:00 – 3:00 PM: Banned Book Teach-In. This dynamic conversation on censorship, education and the right to read will be led by Teukie Martin, Ph.D. Candidate in Inclusive Education (School of Education).
• Tuesday, October 6, 4:00 – 5:00 PM: Academic Freedom Under Pressure: Faculty Perspectives. This panel explores both the enduring value of academic freedom and the threats confronting it today. Panelists are:
  • Roy Gutterman, Tully Center for Free Speech and Professor, Magazine, News and Digital Journalism (Newhouse School of Public Communications)
  • Thomas M. Keck, Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law & Politics, Department of Political Science (Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs)
  • Thomas A. Perreault, Professor, Department of Geography and the Environment (Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs)
• Wednesday, October 7, 3:30–5:20 PM (screening), 10-minute break, 5:30–6:30 PM (Post-Screening Discussion): The Librarians: Screening & Discussion. Winner of the 2026 Primetime Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking, Directed by Kim A. Snyder, 2025 (92 min). Current SU Affiliates may also view The Librarians through the Libraries website on the Alexander Street database. Visit the website for the film for additional information.
  Screening will include special introduction by Janique L Robillard ‘08, Producer.
  Following the film, join a conversation on book banning, intellectual freedom and the role of librarians as frontline defenders of access to information in schools and public libraries today. Special Guests:
  • Amanda Perrine, Executive Director, Onondaga County Public Libraries
  • Alyssa Martin, Director, Manlius Library
• Thursday, October 8, 12:00 – 2:00 PM: Meet a Banned Book! In this interactive event, volunteers bring challenged and censored titles to life that patrons can “check out.” This event is being coordinated by the student group Beyond the Book.
• Thursday, October 8, 3:00 – 4:00 PM: Troll Maps and the Counter-Censors: On the Political Logics of Banning Cartography. Presented by Ian Spangler, Visiting Lecturer and Interim Director of the Spatial Analysis Lab, University of Richmond. Spangler argues that we need a better vocabulary for understanding and disambiguating non-neutrality within cartography that bans and is banned.
• Thursday, October 8, 4:30 – 5:30 PM: Banned Book Read-Out and Raffle. Participants can select a passage from a banned/challenged book and read it aloud. Bring your own title, select from a curated compilation or choose from books on hand. Every reader will be entered into a raffle for prizes, and refreshments will be provided.

“Censorship has no place in a library—or in academia. When we expose ourselves to the widest possible range of ideas, we don't just protect an invaluable principle—we generate new knowledge, sharpen our critical thinking and ensure that we continue to grow,” says Melinda Dermody, Associate Dean for Academic Success at Syracuse University Libraries. “That's why we're proud to stand alongside our community partners in providing a robust program throughout Banned Books Week and taking a strong stand against censorship in any form.”

Many thanks to Banned Books Week sponsors: the Departments of Religion; Women's and Gender Studies; Art and Music History; LGBT Studies; Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics; Political Science; and Writing; The Humanities Center; as well as the Tully Center for Free Speech and Maxwell School's Community Geography Program. Thanks also to the Library and Information Science Student Association (LISSA), Beyond the Book and staff who volunteer to support these events.

In addition to the events planned in Bird Library, the Department of African American Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences will be hosting a Black and Banned Read-Out on Tuesday, October 6, 4:30 - 6 PM in the Martin Luther King Jr. Library in Sims Hall.

The Law Library in Dineen Hall will also be highlighting legal cases on banned books in the display case, along with handouts that provide access to free banned books online and a Research Guide on the legal issues around banned books.

King+King Architecture Library has a display of controversies in architecture to coincide with Banned Book Week. While architecture does not lend itself in the same way as literature to banning, there are numerous controversies from how modern architecture has often failed.

For additional information, contact Patricia Giles pmgiles@syr.edu and/or Katherine Kidd kakidd@syr.edu

All events are free and open to members of the Syracuse University community.