One of Lawrence’s most endearing collector’s items will be back on the market next week when the Lawrence Public Library celebrates the freedom to read by handing out trading cards of banned books designed by local artists.

The designs of this year’s deck of seven cards, and the artists behind them, will be announced Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. in the library’s auditorium at 707 Vermont St. The following week, from Sept. 21-27, during the nationwide Banned Books Week, the library will hand out one card per day for free.

The cards, which are supposed to illustrate the themes of a book that’s faced censorship, first appeared two years ago and attracted some national attention for the project’s creativity, forcing the library to order an extra printing and mail them all over for a small price.

“It’s a really fun and quirky thing we do that really relates to what Lawrence stands for as a community,” marketing director Jeni Daley said.

Forty-seven artists submitted designs this year, with a book of their choice serving as inspiration. The winners, already decided by a panel of judges, also include a middle school student, Daley said. All artwork submissions will be viewable in the library.

Past cards have featured a range of genres, from young adult hits (“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky) to poetry (“Leaves of Grass” by Walt Whitman) and even scientific literature (“On the Origin of Species” by Charles Darwin).

The events are part of Banned Books Week, a national campaign to draw awareness to censorship. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982, according to the American Library Association.

The Sept. 18 reveal party will include performances from Kansas University’s theater department. John Staniunas, a KU theatre professor, will host the event as Edgar Allen Poe.

Following the end of Banned Books Week, the library will have the 2014 deck available online at lawrence.lib.ks.us. The 2013 deck also remains available for purchase.