Maag Library at Youngstown State University will be celebrating the freedom to read on Monday, October 2 and Tuesday, October 3 in observance of "Banned Books Week."

Banned Books Week is a national event celebrated October 1 through 7 that was created to call attention to the censorship of books in libraries and schools. The event has brought librarians, teachers, booksellers, publishers, writers, journalists and readers together for over 40 years.

Folks can gather at Maag Library at 3:30 p.m. Monday when librarian Colleen Duchon will host a discussion on banned books and book censorship with YSU English professor and published author, Christopher Barzak.

Additionally, there will also be a scavenger hunt on October 2 and 3 with special prizes on both days.

Barzak has published five novels such as "Wonders of the Invisible World," which won the Stonewall Honor Award. In 2021, the book was among 850 targeted for a ban by a state representative in Texas.

In 2022, the American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources. The highest number of attempted book bans since the ALA began compiling data about library censorship.