Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week is an annual event of the American Library Association. It celebrates the freedom to read that is protected under the First Amendment while bringing awareness to the dangers of censorship by highlighting actual or attempted book bans across the United States.

Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association

 "Book banning" is a form of censorship that restricts access to books. The most recognizable type of book ban involves removing a book from a library, school, or bookstore after someone issues a formal challenge.

There are many forms of censorship which often go unnoticed and unreported because they do not fit the traditional understanding of "book bans." In fact, the Office For Intellectual Freedom estimates that 82-97% of book challenges remain unreported and receive no media coverage. A library moving a book to a less accessible part of a library to discourage the book being checked out is a form of censorship. A library refusing to purchase books because they're concerned that the book may eventually be challenged is a form of censorship. Laws restricting what a school or library can carry or what books a person can purchase are an especially dangerous form of censorship. Sometimes banned books have even been burned or otherwise forcibly destroyed.  

Censorship is a serious topic. The ability to engage with ideas, even those we disagree with, is foundational to the health of a functioning democracy. Restricting access to ideas, whether they are written or spoken, violates protections set by the First Amendment.

Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association