Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Baldwin Public Library is using the big screen in an effort to encourage patrons to think about why some books have been taken off the shelves.
The library’s Fall Film Challenge asks patrons to watch five movies adapted from frequently banned books, with librarians hoping the experience will lead viewers back to the original stories — and to questions about why they have been challenged or banned.
Through the challenge, library officials hope to raise awareness of book challenges and bans across the country. The American Library Association tracked 4,235 titles that were challenged in 2025, the second-highest number it has ever documented.
The challenge runs through Oct. 31 and is being held in recognition of Banned Books Week, Oct. 4-10. Participants can choose from films suggested by the library or select other movies adapted from frequently banned books.
Although book challenges and bans are closely connected, librarians say there is an important distinction between the two.
A challenge is an attempt to have a library resource removed or access to it restricted based on an objection, while a ban occurs when material is removed from a library because of an objection, according to American Library Association definitions cited by Adult Programming Librarian Elly Muller.
Library officials said their role is not to determine which viewpoints patrons should encounter, but to provide access to a range of materials and allow people to make those decisions for themselves.
“It is important to provide the full range of materials from as many points of view as possible without bias so that patrons have the ability to learn and judge for themselves,” Muller and Mariel DePalma, head librarian of teen services, wrote in an email.
Local author Kim Taylor sees participating in the film challenge as another way for patrons to support access to literature.
“Participating in a film challenge adapted from banned books is an effective way to recognize and resist censorship,” Taylor said. “Literary freedom is supported by actively engaging with banned content through the library, allowing participants to take a direct stance in supporting the freedom to read and the preservation of diverse perspectives.”
Instead of creating another reading challenge, the library chose films as another way for patrons, particularly visual learners, to engage with the stories before turning to the books.
“I hope the teens watch the films, are inspired to read the companion novel, and to think about why others might challenge the book/movie,” DePalma wrote. “What does that say about us as a society? Why are certain people or groups feeling threatened or upset about what is in the book/movie?”
The challenge is open to patrons of all ages, and Muller said she hopes adults will come away with a deeper understanding of the stories they watch.
“I also think the films offer an additional way into the book,” Muller said. “Maybe seeing the on-screen experience will be more visceral for some people and offer a deeper understanding of the text.”
For DePalma and Muller, what patrons can gain from those stories also underscores what can be lost when access to them is restricted.
For teenagers in particular, they said, restrictions could limit exposure to other viewpoints, cultures, historical periods and experiences, as well as opportunities to develop empathy and understanding. They added that teens could also lose access to important health information.
For DePalma, the question of access also comes down to where a family’s choice ends and a decision affecting the broader community begins. Parents, she said, have the right to decide what their own children read, but that choice is different from seeking to remove a book from the library altogether.
“If there is a book that a parent doesn’t approve of for their child, that is their right,” DePalma said. “However, another parent may think the book is fine for their child to read.
“If the first parent challenges the book and wants it off the library’s shelf, now they are censoring that book for the whole community,” she said. “One parent’s opinion about a book is now affecting thousands of people.”
Despite the national attention surrounding book challenges, DePalma and Muller said that the Baldwin Public Library has not received a request to remove, restrict or reconsider a book in its collection.
Patrons who object to an item in the collection can submit a “Concern Regarding Published Material” form online or at the library. The library board of trustees would ultimately decide whether the material remains available, DePalma and Muller said.
The larger conversation, they said, is about what readers can gain from having access to stories and experiences beyond their own. The books and films highlighted for the challenge explore experiences ranging from war, slavery and mental illness to grief, friendship, terminal disease and the feeling of being an outsider — stories that can give readers a chance to recognize their own experiences while developing a greater understanding of what others have lived through.
“Stories like these offer both a mirror and a doorway — you can see yourself and know others share your struggles, or you can learn to strengthen your empathy for others,” Muller said. “To lose access to these stories would be to lose access to ways of making sense of the human condition.”
Have an opinion on the banning of books? Send a letter to aferrari@liherald.com.
