On September 23, the American Library Association (ALA) released preliminary data documenting attempts to censor books and materials in public, school, and academic libraries during the first eight months of 2024. The release coincides with this year’s Banned Books Week (September 22–28). The full statement reads as follows:
Between January 1 and August 31, 2024, ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) tracked 414 attempts to censor library materials and services. In those cases, 1,128 unique titles were challenged. In the same reporting period last year, ALA tracked 695 attempts with 1,915 unique titles challenged. Though the number of reports to date has declined in 2024, the number of documented attempts to censor books continues to far exceed the numbers prior to 2020. Additionally, instances of soft censorship, where books are purchased but placed in restricted areas, not used in library displays, or otherwise hidden or kept off limits due to fear of challenges, illustrate the impact of organized censorship campaigns on students’ and readers’ freedom to read. In some circumstances, books have been preemptively excluded from library collections, taken off the shelves before they are banned, or not purchased for library collections in the first place.
“As these preliminary numbers show, we must continue to stand up for libraries and challenge censorship wherever it occurs,” said ALA President Cindy Hohl. “We know library professionals throughout the country are committed to preserving our freedom to choose what we read and what our children read, even though many librarians face criticism and threats to their livelihood and safety. We urge everyone to join librarians in defending the freedom to read. We know people don’t like being told what they are allowed to read, and we’ve seen communities come together to fight back and protect their libraries and schools from the censors.”
OIF compiles data on book challenges from reports by library professionals in the field and from news stories published throughout the United States. Because many book challenges are not reported to the ALA or covered by the press, the 2024 data compiled by ALA represents only a snapshot of book censorship throughout the first eight months of the year.
As ALA continues to document the harms of censorship, we celebrate those whose advocacy and support are helping to end censorship in our libraries.
Success in courts
While several states have recently passed legislation placing potentially unconstitutional restrictions on access to school and public library materials, lawsuits challenging such provisions on constitutional grounds have begun to overturn these laws and restore students’ and library users’ essential freedoms.
In Arkansas, state legislators passed a law that opened librarians and bookstore owners to criminal prosecution unless they removed materials deemed unsuitable for the youngest of minors from shelves intended to serve older minors and adults. The law also mandated that public libraries adopt procedures allowing books to be challenged based on their “appropriateness,” a statutorily undefined term not based on constitutional standards. This provision would have allowed one person’s opinion to limit the reading choices of everyone else in the community and would have encouraged review boards to engage in content-based discrimination.
The Freedom to Read Foundation, a nonprofit legal affiliate with ALA, joined a consortium of Arkansas libraries, library workers, and library advocates to challenge the law under the First Amendment. In 2023, the group secured a preliminary injunction from the federal district court that halted enforcement of Arkansas Act 372 from taking effect as the court considered their arguments. The consortium continues to fight to permanently stop the law from being enforced.
Advocacy in the community
North Hunterdon–Voorhees (NH-V) Regional High School District in New Jersey faced several attempts to remove books from its shelves. Most recently, the district’s board of education defeated an effort to remove Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan. Martha Hickson, a librarian at North Hunterdon High School, has been on the frontlines standing up against censorship attacks. A group of community advocates, the NH-V Intellectual Freedom Fighters, banded together in opposition to these efforts to restrict students’ right to read. They wrote letters and spoke out at board meetings. The Freedom to Read Foundation also sent a letter to the school administrators supporting the work of school librarians and defending students’ rights. These advocates’ efforts helped preserve access not only to Let’s Talk About It but to numerous other titles.
Young heroes
As a high school student, Julia Garnett fought book bans in her home state of Tennessee. She advocated for student representation on book review committees and served on her school’s review committee. In October 2023, Garnett was honored for her advocacy for the freedom to read by First Lady Jill Biden during a ceremony at the White House. She is also a leader in the National Coalition Against Censorship’s Student Advocates for Speech program, educating other students about advocacy. Garnett is serving as the Youth Honorary Chair for Banned Books Week 2024.
“All of these librarians, community members, students, plaintiffs, and educators demonstrate how we can all stem the tide of censorship by quietly, courageously taking action in our communities,” said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of OIF. “These successes are a sign that our work is making a difference and must continue in order to continue to drive the decrease in documented censorship attempts. We cannot rest. The fight to defend our rights is one we can never relinquish.”
This year’s Banned Books Week
The theme for Banned Books Week 2024 is “Freed Between the Lines,” an observance of the freedom we find in the pages of books and the need to defend that freedom from censorship.
September 28 is Let Freedom Read Day, a day of action focusing on voting—from registering to vote and understanding what’s on the ballot to making sure communities are informed about their rights. Everyone is encouraged to do at least one thing on September 28 to fight censorship. Here’s where you can find ideas for getting involved, as well as other resources.
In February 2024, Unite Against Book Bans launched a free collection of book résumés to support librarians, educators, parents, students, and other community advocates in their efforts to keep frequently challenged books on shelves. Since its launch, the resource has been viewed more than 200,000 times.
To access the ALA press release about this data, visit ALA’s News and Press Center.
