Books like “Bridge to Terabithia,” “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” the “Harry Potter” series and other frequently challenged titles will be celebrated and discussed at a Banned Book Week Panel Wednesday night.

More than 6,000 books were challenged in 2002 and the American Library Association estimates for every challenge formally reported, five or six challenges go unreported, said Olivia Madison, dean of the university library.

A book is challenged when a librarian or teacher receives a complaint about the title or a request is made to remove the title from library shelves or from a teacher’s lesson plan, she said.

Parks Library encountered a challenge five years ago regarding a newsletter it carried, Madison said. The library dealt with the problem by subscribing to an additional newsletter with an alternative point of view.

“In a university library, there is much more acceptance that it will have materials that will cover all points of view,” Madison said. “We never remove something, but we’ll make sure different aspects of the point of view are covered in our collection.”

Gina Millsap, director of the Ames Public Library, said she does not encounter as many challenges as other public libraries might because of Ames’ academic environment.

“Overall, I think residents of Ames really appreciate [the freedom to read] and value that,” Millsap said. “Occasionally, we have someone who expresses a concern, and it’s not just about books. It could be a site on the Internet or a library program — any vehicle that the library provides for introducing ideas or information.”

Millsap said most of the challenges she’s dealt with in the past regarded sex education materials for children and teens.

“What is someone’s passionate belief or interest, another person may find objectionable,” Millsap said. “In every concern or complaint I’ve dealt with in 25 years as a librarian, the person expressing concern had a genuine worry or concern about the impact of material on someone else.”

Madison said the most common reasons books are challenged are due to sexually explicit content, offensive language or material unsuited to a certain age group.

“Individuals who challenge books do mean well, but they’re extending their own personal belief system onto others without realizing that it may not be right for others,” Madison said.

One of Madison’s favorite books, Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” has been on the most challenged list for years, she said.

“I continue to remain amazed at Huck Finn,” Madison said. “[For a book] to still attract that level of concern and outrage is amazing to me.”

Millsap said libraries respect the concerns of challengers but value the freedom to read over complaints.

“We try to balance that against the right of all individuals to make their own choices,” Millsap said. “We’re not making those choices for people, nor are we allowing other individuals to make those choices.”

The panel discussion on Wednesday night will also address how homeland security measures affect libraries. The Patriot Act, passed in October 2001, allows members of the U.S. intelligence community to investigate citizens by obtaining their circulation records from a library. This legislation has forced librarians to consider how they would react if approached by a government agency who wanted those records.

“It is a weighing of national security and safety issues. These are difficult judgment calls,” Millsap said. “If a strong case [against an individual] is to be made, it needs to be more than library records to make that case. Checking out a certain book doesn’t directly tie an individual to any crime.”

Millsap said librarians do not wish to prevent law enforcement from maintaining national security.

“We’re just concerned that the Patriot Act gives such broad, non-specific authority to the intelligence community that it really begins to be of concern about people’s individual civil liberties,” she said.

Banned Book Week changes each year in response to current issues, but remains focused on the freedom to read.

“It brings to the forefront the issue of freedom to read and be informed in the way you wish to be informed,” Millsap said.

The Banned Book Week panel discussion will begin at 7 p.m. in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.