By Kami Steinle

The Wichita Public Library will celebrate Banned Books Week with readings, film screenings and educational activities focused on books that have been challenged or targeted for bans.

“Really it’s just about celebrating the ability to freely express ourselves,” said David Garcia, communication specialist with the library. “One of the main things that Banned Books Week likes to highlight is just that intellectual freedom.”

The annual event has been held nationwide since the 1980s. Wichita’s library is joining the American Library Association, Banned Books Week Coalition and other libraries across the nation.

“I think it’s important for our community to rally around this, just because it’s critically important to have that freedom,” Garcia said. “One thing that we really care about at the Wichita Public Library is free and open access to information, and … we have seen that the number of challenges and attempts to ban books has been going up in recent years.”

Here are some of this week’s events that will take place at the Advanced Learning Library, 711 W. Second St.:

• Zine Bash Kickoff party, where people can learn how to make zines; Monday, 2-4:30 p.m.
• Media censorship discussion, looking into the history of censorship across all forms of media; Wednesday, 6-7 p.m.
• Screening of “Animal Farm” movie; Thursday, 3-4:30 p.m.
• Live reading and discussion of banned or challenged books; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

“Showing people the different types of books that are challenged, and … breaking that down and then again reaffirming that it’s a freedom worth protecting,” Garcia said.

Garcia said 2026 has seen the second-highest number of challenged books recorded by the ALA.

“At a time where literacy levels are low, there are bad-faith actors that want people to be uninformed or disinformed,” Garcia said.

“It’s just important that we connect them to information, to reliable sources, to reliable books (and) information, but also to one another,” he said.

More information about Banned Books Week is on the Wichita Public Library’s website.

Kami Steinle is KMUW’s fall News Lab Intern. She is currently a junior at Wichita State University studying Studio Art with a concentration in photography and a minor in English. She is also the News Editor for The Sunflower, WSU’s independent student newspaper.

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