29th Annual UToledo Banned Books Week Vigil Scheduled for Oct. 8

The 29th Annual UToledo Banned Books Week Vigil, featuring guest speakers, games and refreshments, will take place Thursday, Oct. 8, in Room 1005 in Carlson Library.

Themed “Let Books Be, Protect the Freedom to Read,” the free and public event celebrates the freedom to read and is held in conjunction with the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week.

The 29th Annual UToledo Banned Books Week Vigil, featuring guest speakers, games and refreshments, will take place Oct. 8 in Room 1005 in Carlson Library.

The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom reports that in 2025, 92% of all book challenges were initiated by pressure groups, government officials and decision-makers, up from 72% in 2024.

“We used to deal mostly with book banning in the schools, but this year the American Library Association reported that 52% of the demands to restrict access to reading materials involved public libraries,” said Dr. Paulette D. Kilmer, a UToledo Emerita professor and the coordinator of the UToledo Banned Books Coalition.

“The battle over the First Amendment is never over. If we cannot read freely, then we can neither think freely nor participate in self-government effectively. Libraries and reading empower us to play a vital independent role as part of the informed public that strengthens our democracy.”

UToledo students, staff, faculty and community members are invited to the vigil, which begins at 9 a.m. and ends at approximately 5 p.m. Free books, door prizes and light refreshments will be available throughout the event. Bagels will be served at 9 a.m. and mini-subs at noon, followed by pizza at 3:30 p.m.

The 29th Annual Banned Books Week Vigil will open with a welcome from Jennifer Babcock, a library media technical assistant at UToledo, and continue with the following presentations:

• 9:30 a.m. “The Boy Who Lived … and the Books They Tried to Kill,” by Dr. Daniel Compora, a professor in the Department of English Language and Literature.
• 10 a.m. “Stories Under Siege: Immigrant Books and the Battle for the Freedom to Read,” by Derek Wilmott, an assistant professor and acquisitions and collection management librarian.
• 10:30 a.m. “Banned Poetry Bingo,” with Jonie McIntire, poet laureate emerita of Lucas County.
• 11 a.m. “All Quiet on the Western Front,” with Dr. Barry Jackisch, an associate professor of history.
• 11:30 a.m. “Amniotic Earth: Indigenous Views of Water,” by Dr. Barbara Mann, a UToledo professor emerita in the Jesup Scott Honors College.
• Noon. Dr. Linda Smith Lecture, “Sex, Lies, & Government Eyes: Censorship Trends in the U.S.,” by Dr. Sharon Barnes, an associate professor in Women’s and Gender Studies.
• 1 p.m. “Without a Doubt: Banned Books, AI and the Destruction of Critical Thinking,” with Bob Barringer, director of Blissfield-Schultz-Holmes District Library.
• 1:30 p.m. “Bradbury’s Prophecy Realized: ‘You Don’t Have to Burn Books to Destroy Culture,’” by Michelle Davidson, a Distinguished University Lecturer in the Department of English Language and Literature.
• 2 p.m. “Banned Books Jeopardy!” with Jonie McIntire, poet laureate emerita of Lucas County.
• 2:30 p.m. “Plot Twist: The Book Is Not the Problem,” by Dr. Monita Mungo, an associate professor of sociology.
• 3 p.m. “ ‘Claiming Ownership of That Freed Self’: Trauma, Healing and History in Toni Morrison’s ‘Beloved,’ ” by Jodi Jameson, an associate professor and nursing librarian at Mulford Library.
• 3:30 p.m. “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library,” by Dr. Paulette D. Kilmer, a UToledo professor emerita and Banned Books Vigil coordinator.
• 4 p.m. “The Many Bannings of Ars Amatoria,” (Ovid’s Art of Love) by Jonie McIntire, poet laureate of Lucas County.
• 4:30 p.m. “Banned Books Name That Tune!”