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Salt Lake County readers celebrate banned books and intellectual freedom

(Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune) Carvel Harward reads a copy of Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" at the Smith Branch of the County Library. The public was invited to bring their favorite banned book to the Smith branch and participate in a Facebook live event where they would all read from their banned books, simultaneously, for approximately three minutes in celebration of our intellectual freedom, Sunday, September 24, 2017.

At Salt Lake’s County Library Sunday, book lovers of all ages were encouraged to BYOBB — bring your own banned book.

The nationwide celebration of Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 to celebrate intellectual freedom and raise awareness of censorship after an increase in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries.

At the Smith library branch, attendees read aloud simultaneously from their separate banned books for about three minutes in recognition of those values. Readers also had the chance to take photos with the publications in front of a mugshot backdrop.