In addition to the solar eclipse in much of the country and Simon & Schuster's celebration of its 100th anniversary this evening, today is the second annual Right to Read Day, sponsored by Unite Against Book Bans, organized by the American Library Association and with hundreds of partners, including American Booksellers for Free Expression, the Association of American Publishers, Binc, many publishers and libraries, and others.
With the motto "Don't let censorship eclipse your freedom to read," the day's program includes a list of suggestions that focus on the waves of censorship taking place in libraries around the country. The suggestions include sending letters to U.S. Representatives and Senators (with a form and/or personal story about the sender's library); contacting state legislators and local library board members and trustees; thanking a librarian; registering to vote; donating to the Merritt Fund (which aids librarians who have been discriminated against or denied employment for a variety of reasons, among them for defending intellectual freedom and freedom of speech); checking out, reading, and asking for a banned book at a local library; getting involved with a local library; and more.