The American Library Association (ALA) declared the first week of October as Banned Books Week. (https://www.ala.org)
Join us in opposing censorship of books in schools, libraries, and bookstores.
Use these resources from PEN America to fight book bans where you live.
The American Library Association (ALA) released new preliminary data today documenting the continued rise in censorship attempts in libraries across the U.S. during the first eight months in 2023. The numbers don’t lie: book bans are still rising nationwide.
Between January 1 and August 31, 2023, ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) reported 695 attempts to censor library materials and services and documented challenges to 1,915 unique titles. The number of unique titles challenged has increased by 20% from the same reporting period in 2022, a year that shattered censorship records. Most of the challenges were to books written by or about a person of color or a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Unite Against Book Bans is a national initiative to empower readers everywhere to stand together in the fight against censorship.
Share resources from the UABB Action Toolkit with your community and help defend the right to read for all Americans.
We are not alone. On both sides of the aisle, large majorities of voters and parents oppose book bans.
Full poll results and key findings available via the American Library Association.
And yet, attempts to ban books from libraries continue to rise at an unprecedented level across the country. The American Library Association reported 1,269 attempts 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.