Censorship and First Amendment rights take center stage tonight at Iowa State when the 17th annual celebration of Banned Books Week (Sept. 26 to Oct. 3) comes to a climax.

At 8 p.m. in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union, President of the American Civil Liberties Union Nadine Strossen will speak in a lecture titled “Banning Books: Protection of our Morality or Prohibition of our Civil Liberties?”

Strossen has been a guest on national television programs including CNN’s “Crossfire,” ABC’s “Nightline” and “Politically Incorrect.” Also a lawyer of constitutional law, Strossen is continually traveling and speaking out about free speech, focusing especially on younger generations.

She estimates she speaks at an average of 50 college campuses per year.

Author of “Pornography: Free Speech, Sex and the Fight for Women’s Rights” in 1995 and president of the ACLU since 1991, Strossen said she can remember being outspoken about free speech since the age of five.

Strossen chooses to dedicate her time to the ACLU because it is “the only organization [dedicated] to committing fundamental freedoms for everyone.”

“If you don’t have the First Amendment rights of free speech, free thought and free association, then you cannot advocate on any other issues,” she said.

Concerning the censorship of books, Strossen believes every area of expression is threatened by censorship, and from each new advancement in technology comes people who become frightened of it and want to control it.

Computers are the latest outlet of creativity, and this is the issue Strossen has been asked to speak about tonight, along with concerns of protecting the welfare of children.

“Everyone should be able to decide what they do or do not see or read.” Strossen said. “Parents should have both the responsibility and the right to shield their children from what is offensive to them, but this choice should not be made for anyone by the government.”

Gina Millsap, director of the Ames Public Library, agrees with Strossen. “Everyone has the right to choose for themselves what they read. Everyone deserves access to the world of ideas,” she said.

Millsap calls the week an “important event which she is very proud and pleased to be sponsoring.”

Each year more books are challenged and banned. Speakers at past Banned Books functions have included Michael Gartner from The Ames Tribune and James Autry.

This year, selections from the 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century — classic novels such as “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and new writings including “Snow Falling on Cedars” by David Guterson and “Ghost Camp” by R.L. Stine — are being threatened with being pulled from school and library shelves.

Tonight’s program is free and open to the public, with Strossen speaking for 30-45 minutes and questions from the audience following.