What do the following titles have in common?
All of these are titles which have been challenged. Somewhere in Canada in the past 30 years, individuals or groups have tried to have these books removed from schools, libraries and bookstores. The list of challenged authors includes Alice Munro, the 2013 Nobel Laureate for Literature.
This is the 30th year of Freedom to Read Week in Canada. Check out thirty years of posters. Go to freedomtoread.ca
This inspiring Freedom to Read Week video was made by Julia and Danika from the Calgary Science School, who won the Calgary Public Library Teen Freedom to Read Week Video contest. (source: freedomtoread.ca)
From freedomtoread.ca:
The Book and Periodical Council and its Freedom of Expression Committee are delighted to announce the 30th anniversary of Freedom to Read Week. A national celebration of freedom of expression that takes place in libraries, schools and arts venues across Canada, this year’s program runs from February 23 to March 1, 2014.
Incorporating public readings and panel discussions, challenged book and magazine displays and a kit for librarians and educators, Freedom to Read Week encourages Canadians to express their views about censorship and the right to free speech and opinion.
February 23 to March 1st is Freedom to Read Week. Celebrate and protect your freedom to read, and stand up for intellectual freedom in all its forms.
Go to freedomtoread.ca for more information.
Millions of people around the world are lending their voices to protest mass surveillance and the infringement on our rights to privacy and freedom. Check out the following links to learn more:
The Day We Fight Back: What You Need to Know (PC Magazine)
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Reading is its own reward. But from time to time we like to give a little something more to those students who demonstrate a love of reading to the rest of the class during SSR. Teachers select students for Reading Rewards tickets, which earn them trips to the school library during class for warm beverages, some tasty treats, and some bonus silent reading in a warm, comfortable and festive atmosphere!
![IMG_0109[1]](https://tweedsmuirlibrary.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/img_01091.jpg)
![IMG_0110[1]](https://tweedsmuirlibrary.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/img_01101.jpg)
![IMG_0111[1]](https://tweedsmuirlibrary.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/img_01111.jpg)
![IMG_0112[1]](https://tweedsmuirlibrary.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/img_01121.jpg)
![IMG_0113[1]](https://tweedsmuirlibrary.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/img_01131.jpg)
Do you love reading and do you demonstrate that each day during SSR? Ask your teacher about Christmas Reading Rewards! You might be lucky enough to come down to the library this week for some tasty Holiday Treats, a warm drink, some Christmas music, and, best of all, some silent reading time!
All Library Team members are invited to a Volunteer Appreciation Lunch / Christmas Party on Wednesday, December 18. It will be a fun time to celebrate the Season and a chance for us to thank you for all your service to the students and staff of our school!
Our second offering in a series of lunchtime concerts in your school library is comong up. Please note that the date has changed from what was originally advertised. Bring your lunch and join us on Friday, December 20 for Christmas Carols and other holiday songs!
Our second offering in a series of lunchtime concerts in your school library is on tap for Thursday, December 19. Bring your lunch and join us for Christmas Carols and other holiday songs!
For the rugby players and fans of rugby football in our community, there is another compelling story related to the late Nelson Mandela. While soccer was a sport embraced by the black South African population, for most of the 20th century rugby was the sport of choice for white South Africans, so much so that very many blacks, rugby was a symbol of the racism and oppression of Apartheid. As much as anybody else, Nelson Mandela changed that. Mandela understood the importance of rugby to white South African culture. As he struggled to lead South Africa through the transition from Apartheid, Mandela understood that rugby might be a key factor in garnering support from the white community and perhaps even help step closer to the dream of a racially united “rainbow nation.” As South Africa prepared to host the 1995 World Cup of Rugby, Mandela became the Sprinboks’ number one fan. That the Boks went on to win the World Cup was the storybook ending. It was a truly memorable scene to witness Mandela, clad in his Springboks uniform, once a symbol of Apartheid, handing the Webb Ellis Cup to the Boks’ Captain, Francois Piennar.
To learn more about this fascinating intersection between sport, politics, culture and history, check out the following:
Playing the Enemy by John Carlin (2008).
“Invictus,” a film (2009) by Clint Eastwood, starring Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as Springboks’ Captain Francois Piennar. Based on Playing the Enemy.
“The 16th Man,” an ESPN 30 For 30 documentary produced by Morgan Freeman.
Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library 