![]() This article was originally posted on Februand last updated on February 2, 2023. So, spread the word, because reading is fun, even more so when it’s free! And since its inception there have been 52,000 checkouts. In January 2023 the New York Times reported that 6,000 teenagers have requested library cards through the “Books Unbanned” program since it started in Spring 2022. So, if you already knew this, then great, and if you didn’t, well, now you know! This is great news for younger readers who find their reading choices oppressed by their local governments. I thought it had ended, but apparently they decided to keep it alive. ![]() BPL’s “Books Unbanned” site also provides information on how to donate if you want to support the freedom to read.īPL offered this service to teens and young adults last year. ![]() This opportunity is BPL’s “Books Unbanned” initiative resulting from an increase in efforts to remove books from libraries. For those who live outside of New York state, send an email to Those who live in New York can apply here. It provides users access to BPL’s full eBook collection as well as their learning databases. This free Brooklyn Public Library card applies to anyone within this age range who lives within the U.S. In fact, this is good news.įor a limited time, individuals ages 13-21 can apply for a free Brooklyn Public Library card. If you live in the U.S., chances are you’re probably aware that book bans are a hot topic. “I’m a lifer at the library,” said Gomes.I wasn’t planning on posting today, but I stumbled across some United States book ban-related news that I thought might be interesting to many. This summer marks 24 years of working at the Brooklyn Public Library. His mother, concerned about his after-school activities, requested that he volunteer at the Sunset Park Library in his neighborhood. His family emigrated from the Cape Verde Islands when he was a child. Gomes, who holds a psychology degree from CCNY, started working at the library when he was 15. ![]() Also, the Librarians of Tomorrow project has teens shadowing librarians and learning the workings of a library. Today’s Teens Tomorrow’s Techies, which has 80 teens each year, help seniors with computer classes and conducts tech workshops with teens. “They came up with the hashtag #BooksUnbanned to help young people share their stories on social media when they applied for a card, and that became the project’s official name,” said Gomes.Īt BPL, he heads two internship programs. They have formed Intellectual Freedom Teen Council, a zoom group that meets one to two times a month with teens from New York and around the country to discuss social justice. The teens in Books Unbanned are diversity advocates. Then we would look at the story and give them a digital library card. “They would write stories to BPL and tell us about their experiences. “The teens would reach out to us and tell their experiences ranging from whether their English teacher told them they are not going to read that book in class or that they are unable to go to the library and take the book out,” said Gomes. Teens who identified as that cannot get books to learn about themselves.”īooks Unbanned welcomes all teens. Specifically, they target people of color, Jewish, and LGBTQ+. Their classroom and the public library are not letting them check out books they are interested in reading. “The teens are the ones that are dealing with this crisis. They don’t see that type of representation, and there’s limited material because of this awful banning across the country. “Black teens want to see more Black authors who write about them. “Teens are looking for representation,” he told Our Time Press. ![]() As a Black librarian, he is sensitive to the needs of Black teen readers. Jackson Gomes, Young Adult Internship Coordinator at Brooklyn Public Library, is part of a team of five librarians that launched Books Unbanned. However, most cards have been issued to teens in Texas, Florida, California, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. Since launching in April 2022, more than 6,000 teens have applied for the card from all 50 states. This virtual program allows nationwide young adults ages 13 to 21 to apply for a free eCard from BPL, unlocking access to the library’s extensive collection of half a million eBooks and audiobooks. The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) has launched Books Unbanned to reach out to teens living in banned-book communities. Still, this story has been on the top banned books list every year since it was published in 2017.įor Black teens living in communities around the US where books about racism and LGBTQA+ issues are banned from libraries and schools, “The Hate U Give” is the top requested book. “The Hate U Give,” a young adult novel by Angie Thomas that tells the story of a Black teen who witnesses a police shooting and killing of her unarmed best friend, is a best-selling novel and award-winning movie. ![]()
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