Why Books Still Matter, a new book of essays inspired by the late First Amendment champion Joyce Meskis, has been released this month, with proceeds going to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF). Meskis, who owned the celebrated independent bookstore Tattered Cover in Denver, was a fierce opponent of book banning, and 16 luminaries in book-related fields and the U.S. Senate have contributed to the book, which is edited by Karl Weber and published by Rivertowns Books. “The topics of the essays in Why Books Still Matter are some of the most important in ..read more

To commemorate National Library Week, Unite Against Book Bans has expanded its 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. The collection hosted at bit.ly/BookResumes has expanded by more than 50%!  Unite Against Book Bans launched the book résumé resource in February. Created in partnership with dozens of publishers and with information provided by publishers, librarians, and School Library Journal, these easy-to-print documents are designed to help sup ..read more

It’s National Library Week, which means it’s time for the release of the annual list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2023 and the State of America’s Libraries Report, which highlights the ways libraries and library workers have taken action to address community needs with innovative and critical services, as well as the challenges brought on by censorship attempts. “In looking at the titles of the most challenged books from last year, it’s obvious that the pressure groups are targeting books about LGBTQIA+ people and people of color,” said ALA President Emily Drabinski. “At A ..read more

Across the country, school librarians have been on the intellectual freedom frontlines defending access to books, building understanding about policies and library procedures, and dispelling misinformation. As they navigate these challenging times, school librarians continue to collaborate with teachers, engage learners in lessons spanning from STEM, digital citizenship, research, literacy, and more, and take the lead on their campuses. Navigating Book Challenges When book challenges arise, librarians have specific steps to follow per local policy guidelines.These steps may include collecting ..read more

The number of titles targeted for censorship surged 65 percent in 2023 compared to 2022, reaching the highest levels ever documented by OIF. The new numbers released today show efforts to censor 4,240 unique book titles* in schools and libraries. This tops the previous high from 2022, when 2,571 unique titles were targeted for censorship.  View the 2023 data and find sharable assets here. OIF documented 1,247 demands to censor library books, materials, and resources in 2023. Four key trends emerged from the data gathered from 2023 censorship reports:  Press ..read more

Lydia King is a school librarian at Centreville Middle School in Centreville, Alabama. She also works part time as a reference assistant at North Shelby Library. She received her MLIS from the University of Alabama in 2022 and is completing her Educational Specialist in Educational Leadership with a concentration in School Library Media Specialist. She is currently a member of the Publications and Communications Committee for the Intellectual Freedom Round Table. In her free time, she enjoys crochet and spending time with family. 1.  What made you want to be part of the IFRT? I originall ..read more

Kristin Pekoll is a former YA librarian from Wisconsin. For eight years she provided professional and emotional support to library workers experiencing bans and challenges as the assistant director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. She is the author of Beyond Banned Books: Defending Intellectual Freedom throughout Your Library published by ALA Editions in 2019. Currently she works with the Illinois Library Association as their Conference and Continuing Education Manager. 1.  What made you want to be part of the IFRT? When I was the staff liaison for IFRT, I saw first hand the ded ..read more

Maya Bergamasco (she/her) is the Faculty Research and Scholarly Support Librarian at Harvard Law School Library. She holds a B.A. in English literature, with a concentration in creative writing. She received her MLIS with a concentration in user instruction from Simmons University, where she was an American Library Association (ALA) Spectrum Scholar. Maya currently serves on the IFRT Publications and Communications Committee. She was a 2023 ALA Emerging Leader sponsored by the Intellectual Freedom Round Table, where she worked  on the Finding Silent Censorship Project to collect data on c ..read more

Libraries, schools, bookstores, and groups around the world will be calling attention to censorship – and ways to fight it – October 1 – 7, 2023. The American Library Association and Unite Against Book Bans will mark this year’s event with a slate of programs, a call to action on Let Freedom Read Day, videos from the Banned Books From the Big Chair read out, and more! (We’re adding more as details finalize, so be sure to check back.) The 2023 Banned Books Week theme “Let Freedom Read” is a call to action about the urgent need to defend the right to read and to support the community of re ..read more

Sarah Colbert is the librarian at Moberly Middle School in Moberly, Missouri. She received her Masters in Information Science and Learning Technology from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2017. A 2023 ALA Emerging Leader, Sarah’s project group is working on the Intellectual Freedom Roundtable’s project focusing on silent censorship and unreported challenges across the United States. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys reading, knitting, traveling, photography, and spending time with her dog Henry. Sarah is looking forward to attending ALA Annual in Chicago this summer to share her project gr ..read more