In a celebration of controversial books yesterday, community members read portions of their favorite banned books at the main branch of the Berkeley Public Library.

The event was part of a celebration of Banned Book Week, something that takes place every September.

Berkeley City Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who attended the reading, opened with excerpts from "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," a banned book written by Maya Angelou, Worthington's favorite author.

"It makes me sad that people can't read these books," Worthington said. "It's really important to have a strong public response when people try to ban things."

In an effort to encourage public reading, the library has been setting up a public address system outside its doors once a month since March, said Alan Bern, the community relations librarian. Participants may choose to read aloud from selected books organized around a theme.

Banned Books Week was first started in 1982 by the American Library Association and has been celebrated at the Berkeley Library for over a decade.

"I think it's crucial for people to realize that all communities are not as open as Berkeley and that freedom of speech and freedom of reading what you want to read are not guaranteed everywhere," said Debbie Carton, teen librarian and an organizer of the event.

Carton said she knew of no books that been banned at the Berkeley Public Library, but one book was moved from the teen to the adult section after librarians determined it included graphic content.

Bern said libraries reminded people that banning books was not appropriate.

"Libraries try to remind people that that's not how you handle political freedom and freedom of speech," Bern said.