“Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights.”
Established in 1982, Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community in shared support of the freedom to read. Banned Books Week is October 5 – 11, 2025.
It's not too late. Visit our Banned Books Week display.
Learn more about banned and challenged books by exploring Archer Library's Banned Books Week display located on the main floor. Help yourself to a Banned Books Week sticker, bookmark, information sheet, puzzle, or coloring page.
Explore Archer Library's Banned Books Week library guide. Learn more about the differences between banned vs challenged books, resources available in library collections, Banned Book Week infographics, and additional details about the Top 10 Challenged Books in 2024. New titles are not the only ones being challenged, view the section on Challenged Classics for information on previously banned titles such as Of Mice and Men, The Call of the Wild, and Beloved.
"Censorship Is So 1984 -- Read for Your Rights! With the escalation in attempts to ban books in libraries, schools, and bookstores around the country, George Orwell’s cautionary tale 1984 serves a prescient warning about the dangers of censorship. This year’s Banned Books Week theme reminds us that the right to read belongs to all of us, that censorship has no place in contemporary society, and that we must defend our rights" (ALA, Banned Books Week 2025)
Top 10 Challenged Books of 2024
"Since 2021, ALA has tracked a sharp spike in censorship attempts in libraries. In 2024, ALA recorded the third highest number of book challenges since tracking began in 1990: ALA documented 821 attempts to censor library books and other materials in 2024 across all library types, a decrease from 2023, when a record high 1,247 attempts were reported. ALA recorded attempts to remove 2,452 unique titles in 2024, which significantly exceeds the average of 273 unique titles that were challenged annually during 2001–2020." (ALA, Top 10 Most Challenged Books).
The ten most challenged titles, along with reasons cited for censoring the books, are featured in this video. Click here to view the video on the IRC's Kaltura site.
In celebration of Constitution Day on Sept. 17, 2025, Archer Library is pleased to share the Constitution Day LibGuide and an accompanying display on the main floor of the library. The LibGuide offers many classroom activities and e-resources and you are invited to pick up your own print copy of the U.S. Constitution from the display table.
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Ask a Librarian • Live Chat!
Did you know that Archer Library's Ask a Librarian chat is a live person and NOT a chatbot? It's true! Ask a Librarian Chat is available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Ask your library Qs. We can help.
Student Workshops: Practical & Responsible Use of AI
AI Playground: Play to Learn, Learn to Play! Join us in-person or via Teams for this session exploring the custom ChatGPT Consensus.
About the Consensus App: "Ask the research, chat directly with the world's scientific literature. Search references, get simple explanations, write articles backed by academic papers."
OhioLINK libraries “go live” with state-of-the-art system software
On-time and on-budget upgrade of shared system is a milestone achievement for Ohio’s college and university libraries.
OhioLINK libraries have reached an extraordinary milestone with the successful upgrade of shared system software to support teaching, learning and research for Ohio higher education. The on-time and on-budget project was the culmination of more than two years of planning and collaboration, encompassing the migration of more than a million titles.
The entire OhioLINK consortium, composed of 115 libraries at 86 four-year and two-year institutions of higher education across Ohio, is now fully operational on the state-of-the-art Ex Libris Alma/Primo VE system.
“This significant investment in Ohio’s digital infrastructure ensures that students and faculty at all OhioLINK member institutions benefit from faster, smarter and more integrated access to scholarly materials,” said Mike Duffey, chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education, which funded the project and oversees OhioLINK as part of the Ohio Technology Consortium. “This modern, scalable platform will connect seamlessly with the learning environment to lower student costs, enhance academic outcomes and support ongoing innovation in teaching and research.”
Enhanced Features for Library Users
The cloud-based enterprise software suite for OhioLINK libraries also includes five interoperable apps that work together to meet the educational and research needs of students and faculty. The new system’s user-friendly features include:
In addition, the system streamlines daily operations for library staff and enhances consortial reporting for data analysis and decision-making—essential for OhioLINK’s shared resource negotiations and its statewide collection development and acquisitions team.
Unprecedented Collaboration
Building on 30 years of technological accomplishments, OhioLINK led the migration project in collaboration with Ex Libris. Hundreds of staff from member libraries contributed their time and expertise as part of advisory and functional teams, while also maintaining high levels of library service throughout the migration process.
Over the last 18 months, OhioLINK managed 626 migration-related online meetings that were attended by more than 20,000 member-library staff. Additionally, 243 migration-related videos were shared via OhioLINK’s member-only site and viewed for 3,457 hours.
Collective Achievement for Statewide Benefit
Amy Pawlowski, OhioLINK’s executive director, noted the effectiveness of Ex Libris' project management and acknowledged the contributions from member libraries. “Keeping such a complex project on time and on budget really was a remarkable collective achievement,” Pawlowski said. “Librarians are service-minded collaborators, knowing their contributions would benefit not just their own library’s students and faculty but also their OhioLINK library colleagues across the state, and ultimately the more than 800,000 Ohio higher education faculty and students who use the system. We can’t thank them enough.”
Structured for Success
Standing teams of more than 100 functional experts fielded large volumes of information, meeting regularly and actively participating in an online project management “basecamp.” Implementation was led locally by a designated “Project Lead” at each library. Some of the collaborative teams created for the Ex Libris Alma/Primo migration will continue to offer advice and functional problem-solving for the consortium into 2026 as OhioLINK libraries move toward “steady state.”
Effective Stakeholder Communication
OhioLINK maintained regular communications across the consortium, supplemented with a robust “on demand” project extranet, and functional-expertise-focused online presentations/ discussions that were open to interested library staff. Understanding that the Ex Libris software’s interoperability with non-library campus systems would require local IT support, OhioLINK also held quarterly CIO briefings to ensure campus IT would be able to plan for student information, user authentication and security needs.
Looking Ahead
OhioLINK is preparing to help members launch more Ex Libris apps, including Leganto, which links library collections with campus learning systems to lower student textbook costs, and a mobile app for full library access via smartphones. “We are really happy to have a more secure environment that further facilitates collaboration and efficiencies across the consortium,” Pawlowski said. “OhioLINK was established more than 30 years ago to improve library services through technology, and this system will give us new approaches to getting even better.”
~ Patricia Franks, Archer Library Director
With the new platform functional, OhioLINK requests and general circulation have returned. If you need help using the new system for OhioLINK requests, call the information and circulation desk at 419-289- 5400 (ext 5400), contact us via chat, or send an email to library@shland.edu.
Important Library Service Reminder
OhioLINK, SearchOhio, and InterLibrary Loan book requests are currently paused through Monday, June 23. The library catalog will be offline beginning Tuesday, June 3rd until our new catalog is available.
Library databases are not impacted by these service pauses.
Stop in today for a sweet treat in Archer Library. Visit the dessert table on Archer Library's main floor from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. National Library Week information is available on the Library Event Calendar.
For Authors: OhioLINK Wiley Gold Open Access Author Workflow
Join Wiley representatives on April 4 at 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. to learn about important changes to the Wiley Open Access workflow coming mid-May and article submission process for gold journals through OhioLINK’s publishing agreement. This session is hosted by April Levy, OhioLINK.
Wiley can answer any questions authors might have. If you cannot attend, but are interested in the content, the session recording will be sent to all registrants.
Visit Archer Library's Event calendar to register.
Thank you for participating in the IRC and Archer Library's Scholastic Book Fair. It was wonderful seeing everyone excited to explore the book fair, share stories of book fairs past, and make a few new memories as well.
Remember, you can shop our Book Fair online through April,6, 2025
Book Fair online @
https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/ashlanduniversity
#ScholasticBookFairs #IRCArcherLibrary #ArcherLibrary #Scholastic
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Scholastic Book Fair • Last Day!
All good things must come to an end.
Today is the last day of our Scholastic Book Fair. There's still time to stop in and visit. We are located in Archer Library's active learning lab (main floor) and will be open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. See you soon!
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