Banned Books Exhibition Reception

Join us for a reception for our current exhibition honoring Banned Books Week 2022! Enjoy light refreshments and conversation. We will also be joined by the owner of the pieces on display, Wallingford’s own Janis Small.

About the Exhibit

Columbia University celebrated its Bicentennial in 1954. At the height of the Cold War, Columbia focused the year-long celebration around the theme “Man’s Right to Knowledge and the Free Use Thereof.”

Universities and institutions around the world were invited to participate in celebrating the universal theme in any way they wished. Although not originally part of the plan, libraries became an essential part of the

celebration, hosting the Bicentennial Panel Exhibit showcasing the central themes of the Bicentennial:

• THE INCLUSIVENESS OF MAN
• THE VALUES OF KNOWLEDGE
• MAN’S RIGHT TO KNOWLEDGE
• MAN’S RIGHT TO THE FREE USE OF KNOWLEDGE
• THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF KNOWLEDGE

The eight panels on display in the front lobby gallery of the Wallingford Public Library are from a set of 60 that were displayed in libraries around the country. The panel exhibit helped publicize the importance of libraries and affirmed and strengthened their commitment to intellectual freedom and free access to all.

The panels will be on display through September 30th in the library’s Front Lobby.