how many books are in the boston public library
Boston Public Library The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, founded in 1848.[4] The Boston Public Library is also the Library for the Commonwealth[5] (formerly library of last recourse)[6] of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; all adult residents of the commonwealth are entitled to borrowing and research privileges, and the library receives state funding. The Boston Public Library contains approximately 23 million items encompassing all formats including books, DVDs, CDs, maps, music scores, microfilm, manuscripts, prints and other visual materials,[7] and electronic resources, making it the third-largest public library in the United States behind only the Library of Congress (with 160 million items) and the New York Public Library (with 53 million items), according to the American Library Association.[8] In fiscal year 2014, the library held over 10,000 programs, all free to the public, and lent 3.7 million materials.[9]
The Perks of Being a Wallflower The Perks of Being a Wallflower has appeared six times on the American Library Association's list of 10 most-frequently-challenged books for its content.[11][26] A Wisconsin school board refused to ban the book, angering local parents. The Glen Ellyn District 41 school board in suburban Chicago unanimously voted to reinstate the novel after it was removed from eighth-grade classrooms at Hadley Junior High School because of a parent's objection to its sexual content.[27] Further objections to the book include the use of "profanity", "drug abuse", "sexually explicit" scenes, and "torture". Groups like PABBIS (Parents Against Bad Books in School) work to restrict literature considered "controversial" from being accessed by younger children. The group believes these "bad books" should be moved to the adult section.[28] In 2009, Perks was repeatedly challenged for descriptions of masturbation, sexually explicit conduct, drug use, and talk of suicide and there have been multiple pushes across the United States to move this literary work from the children and young adults section to the adult section.[29] Parents have raised issues with the novel for its "pornographic" content and "vulgarity", but others have argued that the book deals with real and common teen issues concerned with growing up, so it presents a truthful viewpoint.[30] Issues are also raised surrounding the books themes of homosexuality, as well as a "glorification" of the use of drugs and alcohol.[31] In an interview, Chbosky said that he knew of two school boards which have banned the book (in Massachusetts and on Long Island).[11] Since he "didn't write it to be a controversial book,"[11] he was "surprised"[32] by the bans.