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Oct 2 2025
By
EVPL Staff
Banned Books Week 2025 is October 5 – 11. Banned Books Week highlights challenged and banned books and celebrates the freedom to read. The American Library Association defines a challenge to a book as “an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group.”
Banned Books Week has been observed since the 1980s, with support from librarians, teachers, publishers, and readers of all ages. You can celebrate Banned Books Week with EVPL at multiple locations by checking out a challenged title from our Banned Books Week displays.
Below is a panel discussion with local educators, authors, and library professionals discussing censorship, book challenges, and access to information.
Panelists
- Kirt Ethridge, Adult and Teen Librarian at EVPL Oaklyn: Kirt has been a librarian at EVPL for the past 6 years. His primary focus is teen services. In addition to his library work, Kirt is a writer who was a 2018 Lambda Literary Fellow for young adult fiction. His writing has been published in Kveller, the Chicago Review of Books, and the Gottman Institute, among others.
- Dr. Lisa Hale, Associate Professor of Education in the School of Education and Health Sciences at the University of Evansville: Lisa Hale is a lifelong resident and proud graduate of Central High School, the University of Southern Indiana, and Indiana State University. After an extensive career with the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation as an educator, literacy coach, and elementary school principal, she transitioned to UE as an associate professor of education. She’s a lifelong lover of books, and her UE license plate is “READER.”
- Kate Linderman, Director of Collections at EVPL: Kate has worked at EVPL since 2005 and received her Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2009. At EVPL, she worked in public services for 17 years, 6.5 as a location manager at the Red Bank and McCollough locations. Since 2022, she has worked in Collection Development and has been Director of Collections since 2023.
- Dr. James MacLeod, Professor of History Chair, Department of History, Politics, and Social Change @ University of Evansville: Originally from Scotland, James has been teaching history at the University of Evansville for the last 26 years. He has written four books, and always has a pile of EVPL books at home!
- Shane White, Head of Research Services at the University of Southern Indiana: Shane White is a UE alum. He’s been an academic librarian since 2008, focusing on research and instruction. He currently works at USI as the Head of Research Services. He belongs to the Indiana Library Federation, serving on the Advocacy and Intellectual Freedom Committees.
Resources for learning more
