b"home-school program or a job search, track down ancestors,Librarys role includes exploring listen to music and watch a movie. Partnerships add to the libraries strengths. Local volunteers,thorny questions, not banning beliefsorganizations and agencies, such as the Tahoe National Forest, have brought in programs. Local businesses, such as Gold Vibe One of the things we are really blessed withKombucha in Grass Valley, host library-based book clubs.in this community is a diverse set of beliefs,VISION FOR THE FUTURE: IN THE PLANNING STAGES says Nevada County Librarian Nick Wilczek.Wilczek took the post of county librarian in June 2020,I n some communities across America, divergent beliefs have when the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns were at their peakled to movements to remove books and other materials from and residents, hunkered down, turned to their libraries as onelibrary shelves or to restrict access. Many banned books deal source of comfort and something to do. with violence, suicide, sex, sexuality and orientation, gender, race, He brings a cross-country perspective to his job, and a heartreligious viewpoints and breaking traditional norms, according to for rural areas: He considers Lexington, Ky., the place wherea list of most-banned books in the 2010-19 decade compiled by hes from, and he came to California to take a job leadingthe American Library Association. the library system in Humboldt County. You can still hearIn 2023, the number of titles targeted for censorship rose Kentucky in his voice as he outlines his vision for the near- 65 percent over the previous year, to 4,240 unique book titles term future of Nevada Countys library system. presented in 1,247 demands made to libraries and schools, Next steps will be built on community conversationsaccording to the ALA. Nearly half represent the voices and lived about what people want and need, Wilczek says: Watch forexperiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC (Black, indigenous and announcements in the coming year or two. people of color) individuals, the ALA reported.At Grass Valleys Royce branch, Wilczek envisionsIn Nevada County, no major movement has appeared to remove upgrades that willtitles from the public libraries, and no formal request has been allow greater accessWILCZEK'S received during his tenure, Wilczek says. But, people have spoken to the lower floor,FAVES to him about books that worry them. In what he calls open and changes to make Lone Wolf and Cub, honest and trusting conversations, earnest conversations, he better use of the space,a28-volume Japanese manga seriesexplains that he wants local libraries to offer opportunities for and new flooring andby writer Kazuo Koike and artistlearning, rather than move toward a prescriptive position.shelving. The historicGoseki Kojima One of the things I like about this community is, its good building has a list of Raymond Chandlers Philippeople with a wide set of beliefs, Wilczek says. Despite residents deferred maintenance.Marlowe novels , a poem by Charles SimicOut back, he wouldStone differing social and political views, we feel like a whole, healthy like to create what hecommunity.calls an intentional space that would include a larger patio,That makes this a really fascinating place to be, Wilczek adds. a seating area and perhaps a small performance space. Local libraries reflect that diversity and help people understand At Nevada Citys Madelyn Helling Library, deferredthemselves more deeply. Someone can come into this library and maintenance also needs to be addressed. find things that speak to their beliefs, no matter what they are.We want to make sure the space is working for us,Thats something we should be incredibly proud of.Wilczek says.The American Library Associations list of the most-banned books during the decade from 2010 to 2019 includes these titles, in order Grass Valley Library (Josiah Royce Branch) of frequency:207 Mill Street The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins (No. 12)Grass Valley, CA To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (No. 15)(530) 273-4117 A Brave New World - Aldous Huxley (No. 26)The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain (No. 33)www.NevadaCountyCA.gov/307/Grass-Valley-Library Nickel and Dimed - Barbara Ehrenreich (No. 39)Beloved - Toni Morrison (No. 45)The Goosebumps series - R.L. Stine (No. 46)The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger (No. 49)The Holy Bible (No. 52)Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank (No. 62)House of the Spirits - Isabel Allende (No. 71)Enders Game - Orson Scott Card (No. 84)The movement to remove books from library shelves goes back Photo courtesy Roo Cantada. to at least the 1960s, when targeted tomes included Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan series; and Maurice Sendaks illustrated childrens fantasy, Where the Wild Things Are, according to the nonprofit anti-censorship group PEN America, based in New York. Get the complete list at ala.org.2024 Western Nevada County Edition SENIOR DIRECTORY 7"