Readers sixth grade and older can turn Banned Books Week into a monthlong reading challenge at the Philomath Community Library and other Corvallis-Benton County Public Library branches.
The library system launched its Banned Books Bingo Challenge on Sunday, and it runs through Nov. 7. The challenge coincides with Banned Books Week, which is being observed Oct. 4-10.
Participants can pick up a bingo card at any branch, including Philomath’s, or request one by contacting the library. Cards are available in English and Spanish.
As in a standard game of bingo, the goal is to complete five squares in a row horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Each square on the card features either a book-related task or an activity tied to censorship.
Examples include reading a banned or challenged graphic novel, reading a book that has been banned or challenged in Oregon, reading a challenged book aloud to someone, watching a movie adaptation of a banned book and talking with a friend or family member about censorship.
Other squares direct participants to resources such as the American Library Association’s list of the most challenged books of 2025, its Freedom to Read statement and the Unite Against Book Bans website. The center square is a free space labeled “Free People Read Freely.”
Completed cards can be turned in at any library location through Nov. 7. Each returned card earns a small prize and an entry into a grand prize drawing.
The small prizes are banned books magnets created by a Corvallis librarian. Grand prize winners will receive packages of banned books-themed merchandise from Out of Print, a company that makes literary-themed apparel and gifts.
Reading suggestions for each bingo square are available in the library’s online catalog at cbcpl.net/bingo.
Banned Books Week is an annual event intended to highlight free expression by drawing attention to books that have faced removal efforts in libraries. According to the library, a book is considered “challenged” when a person or group tries to restrict or remove it, and “banned” when that effort succeeds.