“This is a dangerous time for readers and the public servants who provide access to reading materials. Readers, particularly students, are losing access to critical information, and librarians and teachers are under attack for doing their jobs.”
- Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom 

October 1-7, 2023 is Banned Books Week. The theme for this year is Let Freedom Read.

From the American Lbrary Association Website:

"For more than 40 years, the annual event has brought together the entire book community — librarians, teachers, booksellers, publishers, writers, journalists, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted for removal or restriction in libraries and schools. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.

In a time of intense political polarization, library staff in every state are facing an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom ALA documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago. The unparalleled number of reported book challenges in 2022 nearly doubles the 729 book challenges reported in 2021."

Click here to see the Top 13 most challenged books of 2022.

Get Involved

ALA has multiple ways to get involved. Click here  to explore opportunities to support the freedom to read.
 

Unite Against Book Bans is a national initiative to empower readers everywhere to stand together in the fight against censorship. Read more by clicking here.

if you would like to add your voice to those who believe:

• Books are tools for understanding complex issues.
• Young people deserve to see themselves reflected in a library’s books.
• Parents should not be making decisions for other parents’ children.
• Individuals should be trusted to make their own decisions about what to read.
• Limiting young people’s access to books does not protect them from life’s complex and challenging issues.

Click here or scan the QR code to register.

For more information about Banned Books Week, see the American Library Association's website.