Thank you to everyone who stopped by for our Banned Books Giveaway! This year we had 310 books, with so many visitors that only a few titles are leftover. Based on questions we had today, we wanted to provide additional resources to help you fight against Book Bans.
- Write to your local representative, you can use this link to find your representatives and how to contact them. Let them know how much you support libraries and do not support banning books.
- Pay attention to local board meeting agendas including library, school, and local government board meetings. If you see something on the agenda that sounds like a book challenge or book banning, attend and speak out against banning books.
- Report any censorship that happens in your area or institution to the Office for Intellectual Freedom here.
Launched in 1982, Banned Books Week occurs every year, usually during the last week of September, and this year it is held from September 22-28. It highlights the value of the first amendment right to free speech, the right to express and seek out ideas, and the value of free and open access to information.
Libraries across the United States are facing an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books, with a 65% increase in book challenges in 2023 compared to 2022, amounting to 4,240 unique book title challenges and 1,247 total challenges. Titles representing LGBTQI+ and BIPOC individuals make up 47% of materials targeted in censorship attempts.
While books have been and continue to be banned, part of the Banned Books Week celebration is that, in most cases, the books have remained available. This happens only thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, students, and community members who stand up and speak out for the freedom to read.
The theme for Banned Books Week 2024 is “Freed Between the Lines,” to highlight how freedom can be found in the pages of the book, but book bans and censorship threaten that freedom, along with many other rights and institutions. During Banned Books Week 2024 and beyond, let’s share our love of the right to read and the freedom found in books. Let’s be Freed Between the Lines!
BANNED BOOKS GIVEAWAY
Tuesday, September 24, 3 p.m.-6 p.m.
PROGRAM ROOM | 316 SOUTH MAIN STREET
Come join us for Banned Books Week 2024 by picking out a banned book to take home with you! Books given away do not come from our library collection, the banned books are donations to the library or purchased for this giveaway. We will offer a variety to choose from so that everyone can find something that appeals to them and is age appropriate. Learn more here.
Banned Books Resources
ALA: Banned and Challenged Books
ALA compiles data on book challenges from reports filed by library professionals in the field and from news stories published throughout the United States. A division of ALA is the Office of Intellectual Freedom which is charged with implementing ALA policies concerning the concept of intellectual freedom as embodied in the Library Bill of Rights, the Association’s basic policy on free access to libraries and library materials. The goal of the office is to educate librarians and the general public about the nature and importance of intellectual freedom in libraries.
PEN America
Founded in 1922, PEN America is the largest of the more than 100 centers worldwide that make up the PEN International network. PEN America works to ensure that people everywhere have the freedom to create literature, to convey information and ideas, to express their views, and to access the views, ideas, and literatures of others.
Unite Against Book Bans
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.