A group of public relations students hosted an event on Tower Drive Thursday filled with free books, library card signups, information about banned books and the East Baton Rouge Parish Library bookmobile to encourage college students to support their local library and use its resources beyond books.
LSU selected six public relations seniors to compete in the Bateman Case Study Competition, a national PR campaign where students compete against other college teams. Each year, the Public Relations Student Society of America selects a client for the team to promote. This year’s client is the non-profit EveryLibrary, a political action committee focused on increasing support and security for libraries nationwide.
“Our campaign is super focused on getting their name out there and stationing them as an expert in the library field,” team member Emily Panzavecchia said. “Something we are noticing is that there is something to do at the library other than just checking out a book – for every generation.”
The team’s campaign slogan, “Every Chapter, EveryLibrary,” informs people that libraries offer something for every chapter of your life. The library is a resource for all ages, from children’s books to teen finance events and couples painting nights to learning how to use technology for seniors.
At the event, students had the chance to take home an unknown book in an exchange known as a blind date with a book. Community members and the independent local bookstore, Red Stick Reads, donated these books to the Bateman team to provide this activity for students.
“We wrapped about 50 books, and they were all gone in 20 minutes,” team member Olivia Johnson said. “It was really awesome to see everyone being so excited and inspired about reading.”
Libraries offer a plethora of books, though historically, they have banned books considered extremely radical. The team provided a table where students could take a banned books quiz to learn more about what mainstream books were deemed controversial and the reason why. Banned books vary across genres, from “Charlotte’s Web” to “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Team member Amanda MacFadyen has a personal connection with the libraries. Growing up homeschooled, she was exposed to many different types of books at libraries which stuck with her.
“We would always be at the public library and I feel like that was something that really impacted me,” MacFadyen said. “I felt like this was always a resource, and I could learn so much from it.”
Her favorite books growing up, “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “Harry Potter,” have both been banned at one point in time. According to an American Library Association report, the “Harry Potter” series are some of the most challenged books of the 21st century and topped the list from 2000-2005 for glorifying the occult and promoting witchcraft.
“So to think about kids in schools that have libraries that aren’t able to get these books is definitely really sad to me,” MacFadyen said.
The LSU team won third place in the competition in 2023 and received honorable mentions in 2024 and 2022. This year, they aim to place and continue the school’s legacy. The team encourages students to follow their project by following their Instagram @everylibrarylsu. The winner will be announced May 8.
