The freedom of expression was still alive and well in Parks Library Tuesday.

Barbara Mack, associate professor of journalism and mass communications, read from books that have been banned in the United States throughout history.

Olivia Madison, dean of library services, said the readings were held in conjunction with the annual Banned Book Week promoted by the American Library Association.

Books are usually challenged with the best intentions,Œ Madison said. But our motto is: ‰Free people read freely.¡Œ

Mack read four selections, including the Wife of Bath¡sŒ prologue from Geoffrey Chaucer¡s The Canterbury Tales.Œ

Chaucer wrote a lot about the concept of marriage and the rights of husbands and wives,Œ Mack said. This is a woman I like because she ran her own business, kept her own house and just polished off her fifth husband.Œ

Other pieces Mack read were from Mark Twain¡s Huckleberry FinnŒ, J.K. Rowling¡s Harry PotterŒ and LysistrataŒ ¢ a Greek comedy about wives who withhold sex from their husbands to stop them from going to war.

Mack said the husbands gave in because They figured they¡d make peace to get a piece.Œ

Mack ended her presentation by saying, Don¡t be afraid to read. Read often, read anything, read everything.Œ

Twenty people attended the presentation.

I thought it¡s good that the college is behind something that supports freedom of thinking and not structuring our thoughts,Œ said Molly McDonald, freshman in animal science.

Karen Lawson, information technology officer at Parks Library, said books banned in the past have touched on a variety of controversial subjects, including religion, the environment, sexuality, gay rights, drug use and bomb-making.

Madison said the most commonly banned books for 2001 were the Harry PotterŒ series, John Steinbeck¡s Of Mice and MenŒ and Robert Cormier¡s The Chocolate War.Œ

It¡s important for all the citizens in the university community to realize that other places are not so lucky,Œ Lawson said.

We have a fairly sophisticated clientele, but public libraries and school libraries are fighting this all the time.Œ

Lawson said Parks Library occasionally must deal with harm to books on a smaller scale.

People censor things themselves,Œ she said. People hide books sometimes. If you misplace something or stick it behind something else, it¡s essentially lost. In all the years I¡ve been here, I¡ve never been able to put my hands on a copy of ‰Catcher in the Rye.¡Œ

People interested in finding lists of banned books may search the American Library Association¡s Web site at www.ala.org/bbooks.