Bobinski Lecture Series

This lecture is supported by the George and Mary Bobinski Lecture Fund. This fund was established to bring scholars of significant standing and high quality to address important topics in library and information science.

2023 Lecture — Books and the Culture War

Emily J.M. Knox.

Emily J.M. Knox, PhD
Associate Professor
School of Information Sciences
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Date: Wednesday, April 19, 2023
  • Time: 5:30 p.m. reception, 6:30 p.m. lecture
  • Location: The Buffalo Room, 10 Capen Hall, UB North Campus; online via Zoom

Over the past two years, materials in public schools and libraries have been the target of numerous censorship attempts. The effectiveness of these campaigns is unclear and yet the requests continue. Why do people ban books? What are they trying to accomplish? How does this relate to other attacks on public institutions? What are the effects and how should we respond?

Emily J.M. Knox is an associate professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include information access and intellectual freedom and censorship. Her most recent book, Foundations of Intellectual Freedom, was published by ALA Neal-Schuman in 2022. Her previous book, Book Banning in 21st Century America, is the first monograph in the Beta Phi Mu Scholars’ Series. Her articles have been published in the Library Quarterly, Library and Information Science Research, and the Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy. She serves on the board of the National Coalition Against Censorship. She is also editor of the Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy. Emily received her PhD from the doctoral program at the Rutgers University School of Communication & Information.

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About the Series

George S. Bobinski, emeritus professor and former dean of the School of Information and Library Studies, is a library historian and noted scholar. Mary Bobinski was a former director of Amherst Public Libraries, Buffalo and Erie County Public Library. The George and Mary Bobinski Lecture Fund was established to bring scholars of significant standing and high quality to address important topics in library and information studies.