Huntingdon College Library

10/20/2026

Ahoy, me hearties. It be time for pirate flag makin' this Sunday at 5:30pm. Pirate King Kidwell will be leading our wee workshop on flag makin' so send him an e-scroll at [email protected] by Wednesday afternoon to let him know you're coming; we need to know how many scallywags to expect in the Library atrium.

Walk-ins are welcome to drop anchor with us but keep a weather eye out; if a lot of buccaneers show, we may not have enough for everyone and those who RSVP have first claim at the beginning of the workshop. The only thing ye need bring is a wee thought about what to put on yer pirate flag.

10/19/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19Qs6BYTGd/

Hawks, do you have a story to tell about Martha, Hank, or others?

The Library and the Archives are collecting your stories! Scan the QR code or use the link below to share your anonymous story today.
https://conta.cc/4sc0Dsa

10/11/2026

Final Answer: "Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary." In 2010, a Southern California school district temporarily removed Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary from elementary-school shelves after a parent challenged sex-related entries as age-inappropriate.

10/10/2026

Yesterday's Answer: "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" by Gregory Maguire. The book has been challenged and banned due to sexual content including sexual violence, profanity, drug use, and other “adult” themes. Interestingly, in early interviews Gregory Maguire stated that due to the source material for the book (i.e The Wizard of Oz) he included such material to emphasize that this was a book meant for adults or more mature readers and not for children. This bears a similarity to the (first) film Jurassic Park. Steven Spielberg felt it necessary to issue a statement informing parents that, yes, the movie is about dinosaurs, but it is not a movie for young children.

Today's Question: What classic reference work has been challenged because it includes definitions of sexual terms or “objectionable” words?

10/10/2026

Yesterday's Answer: "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" was written by Bill Martin Jr. and illustrated by Eric Carle. An interesting (and not isolated) case of mistaken identity, as there is another Bill Martin, Jr. who has written extensively on Marxism. There is, however, nothing inherently Marxist about brown bears.

Today's Question: What book inspired the (to date) fourth longest running show in Broadway history and the highest- grossing musical film adaptation?

10/08/2026

Learn about the superheroes protecting our Freedom to Read this Banned Books Week in THE LIBRARIANS, Director/Producer Kim A. Snyder's Emmy Award-winning documentary now available to watch on digital!

As an unprecedented wave of book banning is sparked in Texas, Florida, and beyond, librarians under siege join forces as unlikely defenders fighting for intellectual freedom on the front lines of democracy. "Superb," "gripping," and "profoundly alarming" - The New York Times

10/08/2026

This year’s Banned Books Week coincides with ALA’s official 150th anniversary. To mark the occasion, ALA has released a list of the 150 most challenged books documented from 1990, when ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom began tracking book challenges, through 2025.

The full list of the 150 most challenged books - those that have been targeted for restriction or removal in libraries and schools - spans contemporary titles such as "Gender Q***r: A Memoir" by Maia Kobabe and literary classics such as "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee and "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck.

“Every book on this list is a reminder that readers have the right to explore ideas and decide for themselves what to read,” said ALA President Maria McCauley. “For 150 years, ALA has worked alongside library workers to keep that choice open to everyone. We ask for support for our libraries so the next generation has that same freedom.”

See the full list at ala150.org/150books.

10/08/2026

Earlier this year, ALA released our list of the Top 11 Most Challenged Books of 2025. Behind each banned or challenged title is an author being professionally—and sometimes personally—targeted for the stories they have chosen to share. These works usually amplify marginalized voices such as abuse victims or those within the LGBTQ+ community.

American Libraries spoke with five authors on the Top 11 list – Patricia McCormick, Stephen Chbosky, Malinda Lo, Ellen Hopkins, and Jennifer L. Armentrout – to hear how their experiences affected them.

Read the full interviews in two parts at https://bit.ly/4ehBypJ

10/08/2026

Yesterday's Answer: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Steinbeck’s classic began being challenged almost immediately upon publication in 1939, and interestingly in one of the very regions the book is set. In 1939, the Board of Supervisors of Kern County (CA) banned the book from county libraries and schools mainly for how the book depicted agricultural growers and the labor conditions of migrant workers. The ban was later overturned in no small effort by librarian Gretchen Knief (her Wikipedia page is worth a read and she has an Alabama connection)

Today's Question: What classic children’s book that includes a bear of a certain color was challenged because it was about Marxism?

10/08/2026

Margaret Hamilton, the first female programmer hired to work on the space project at M.I.T., was 90.