St. Joe County Public Library

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St. Joe County Public Library We connect members of our diverse community to learning, resources, culture, and each other.
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10/13/2026

Everyone HAS apparently heard that V.E. Schwab is in fact coming to the library, since our event is full!! If you really want to come, go ahead and register for the event through the below and we'll put you on our waitlist and inform you by email how you might still be able to attend.

If you have registered but know you can no longer make it, please reply to the most recent event email so we can let those on the waitlist know!

If you already registered, please note that our Auditorium is limited to 250 people and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets for auditorium seating will be available for pickup beginning at 9:00 AM on October 14th in our Leighton Auditorium lobby — pickup must be done by the registrant and cannot be picked up on behalf of another attendee.
Attendees who pick up their ticket early must arrive back at our Leighton Auditorium by 5:00 PM in order for their ticket to be honored. Otherwise, any registered attendee may be seated in the auditorium until maximum capacity is reached. Overflow seating will be available in our ballroom for all registrants.

https://sjcpl.libnet.info/event/15690049

10/12/2026

Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh my! Who's your favorite literary animal?

Sooooo Banned Books Week is technically over, but we wanted to leave you with the remaining parts of the Library Bill of...
10/11/2026

Sooooo Banned Books Week is technically over, but we wanted to leave you with the remaining parts of the Library Bill of Rights we haven't covered in our previous captions since they're pretty relevant due to all of the "gestures broadly" going on,

"V. A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.
VI. Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.
VII. All people, regardless of origin, age, background, or views, possess a right to privacy and confidentiality in their library use. Libraries should advocate for, educate about, and protect people’s privacy, safeguarding all library use data, including personally identifiable information.

The Library Bill or Rights was adopted June 19, 1939, by the ALA Council (American Library Association); amended October 14, 1944; June 18, 1948; February 2, 1961; June 27, 1967; January 23, 1980; January 29, 2019.

Inclusion of “age” reaffirmed January 23, 1996."

Check out the link below to learn more about Banned Books Week!

https://sjcpl.co/4iOXWKi



Works Cited

"Library Bill of Rights", American Library Association, June 30, 2006
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill (Accessed September 28, 2026)
Document ID: d03f6aae-7e51-46b3-afed-50fa0809f8ca

Geared up to let books be and fight for the right to read!! 5,668 books were completely banned from libraries (66% of th...
10/10/2026

Geared up to let books be and fight for the right to read!! 5,668 books were completely banned from libraries (66% of the total challenged) in 2025. This was the highest rate of challenges resulting in censorship in one year from 1990-2025, according to data collected by the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom.

Check out the link below to learn more about Banned Books Week!

https://sjcpl.co/4iOXWKi



Works Cited

"Censorship by the Numbers: Banned Books Data", American Library Association, March 20, 2023
https://www.ala.org/bbooks/book-ban-data (Accessed September 28, 2026)
Document ID: 45e94335-c2b4-4196-9558-3382e12b6739

Not the reality public libraries experience, unfortunately, since according to data collected in 2025 by the American Li...
10/09/2026

Not the reality public libraries experience, unfortunately, since according to data collected in 2025 by the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), public libraries experience more overall censorship attempts than school libraries, school curricula, and higher education institutions (this data includes all types of challenges to displays, programs, and other library resources).

Check out the link below to learn more about Banned Books Week!

https://sjcpl.co/4iOXWKi



Works Cited

"Censorship by the Numbers: Banned Books Data", American Library Association, March 20, 2023
https://www.ala.org/bbooks/book-ban-data (Accessed September 28, 2026)
Document ID: 45e94335-c2b4-4196-9558-3382e12b6739

If you're ever curious why your local library is so adamant about promoting Banned Books Week. Article IV of the Library...
10/08/2026

If you're ever curious why your local library is so adamant about promoting Banned Books Week. Article IV of the Library Bill of Rights (our governing document) says, "Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas."

Check out the link below to learn more about Banned Books Week!

https://sjcpl.co/4iOXWKi



Works Cited

"Library Bill of Rights", American Library Association, June 30, 2006
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill (Accessed September 28, 2026)
Document ID: d03f6aae-7e51-46b3-afed-50fa0809f8ca

Honoring the Library Bill of Rights (based on the First Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights) by doing what we ...
10/07/2026

Honoring the Library Bill of Rights (based on the First Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights) by doing what we can to fight censorship and book bans 🫡. Article III reads, "Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment."

Check out the link below to learn more about Banned Books Week!

https://sjcpl.co/4iOXWKi



Works Cited

"Library Bill of Rights", American Library Association, June 30, 2006
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill (Accessed September 28, 2026)
Document ID: d03f6aae-7e51-46b3-afed-50fa0809f8ca

"Library Bill of Rights and Freedom to Read Statement Pamphlet", American Library Association, November 16, 2016
https://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/oif/LBOR-FTR-statement-pamphlet (Accessed September 28, 2026)
Document ID: 251b51cd-5cd3-4a5d-bf60-54dc509c8107

Censorship doesn't have much room in the library... especially in the context of the Library Bill of Rights. Article II ...
10/06/2026

Censorship doesn't have much room in the library... especially in the context of the Library Bill of Rights. Article II reads, "Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval."

Check out the link below to learn more about Banned Books Week!

https://sjcpl.co/4iOXWKi



Works Cited

"Library Bill of Rights", American Library Association, June 30, 2006
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill (Accessed September 28, 2026)
Document ID: d03f6aae-7e51-46b3-afed-50fa0809f8ca

The Library Bill of Rights was originally adopted on June 19, 1939, by the American Library Association, and it is the d...
10/06/2026

The Library Bill of Rights was originally adopted on June 19, 1939, by the American Library Association, and it is the document we guide our services on. So if you've ever been curious why we, as a library, make such a big deal about censorship and banning books. Article I of the Library Bill of Rights reads, "Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation."

Check out the link below to learn more about Banned Books Week!

https://www.ala.org/bbooks



Works Cited

"Library Bill of Rights", American Library Association, June 30, 2006
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill (Accessed September 28, 2026)
Document ID: d03f6aae-7e51-46b3-afed-50fa0809f8ca

10/05/2026

Be honest: what assigned reading in school did you skip?

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304 S. Main Street
South Bend, IN
46601

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Thursday 9am - 8pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
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Sunday 1pm - 5pm

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