Students at the University of Houston-Victoria and Victoria College are invited to celebrate their freedom to read by attending the VC/UHV Library�s second annual Read Out event.

The Read Out will take place from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in the library�s leisure reading area on the first floor near the Ben Jordan Street entrance.

Community members also are encouraged to attend in observance of National Banned Books Week Friday through Oct. 2. The theme for the event is �Think for yourself and let others do the same.�

�This is our effort to bring the issues of First Amendment rights, intellectual freedom and censorship to mind for our students and faculty, and the community,� VC/UHV Library Director Joe Dahlstrom said.

The event will allow people to hear readings from books that have been challenged across the country.

�Books like �To Kill a Mockingbird� and �The Color Purple� continue to be challenged year after year,� VC/UHV librarian Jennifer Foster said.

Aprill Brandon, a columnist for The Victoria Advocate, will be the featured speaker at the event and will discuss censorship challenges, the freedom to read and citizens� First Amendment rights to free speech.

Students, faculty and librarians will read passages from banned books, including �I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,� �Running with Scissors,� �Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl,� �The Perks of Being a Wildflower� and more. 

Snacks will be served. For more information, call Foster at 361-570-4195 or go to vcuhvlibrary.uhv.edu.