So You’re Just Now Learning About Book Bans in 2023 . . .
A one-stop shop of resources
Efforts to ban and challenge books in the United States nearly doubled in 2022, and so far there has been a 20% increase in 2023 from the same reporting period according to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF). It is important to state that “of the record 2,571 unique titles targeted for censorship, most were by or about LGBTQIA+ persons and Black, Indigenous, and people of color.”
School and public libraries have become the primary targets for book challenges from groups that are more coordinated and widespread than in years past. So it’s no surprise that you’ve probably seen more news reports about banned books in 2023. It can be difficult to keep up with the onslaught of book challenges across the country and to know where to go to learn more.
Here are three organizations that are working hard to provide up-to-date information and resources about book bans and censorship.
BookRiot
BookRiot editor Kelly Jensen does a phenomenal job with Book Censorship News, her weekly censorship news round-up. You can also subscribe to BookRiot’s free Literary Activism newsletter “for all the news, tools, and calls to action to help you engage in changing the bookish world” or purchase their new e-book, How to Fight Book Bans and Censorship.
PEN America
PEN America’s Book Bans website is a platform for learning more about past and current censorship efforts in libraries and classrooms across the U.S. Their Banned in the USA report provides detailed findings of “recorded instances of book bans and individual titles banned over the past two years” in public schools. You can also search their Index of School Book Bans for 2022–2023 and point people to their Book Bans FAQ page.
EveryLibrary
EveryLibrary actively monitors anti-library and anti-access legislation across the country and provides an interactive map with bill information and “take action” links for every state. They also make it easy to sign petitions and contact your representatives. “EveryLibrary is the first and only national organization dedicated to building voter support for libraries,” and you can also donate to help their work “with over 50 grassroots groups across the country to fight back against censorship and support libraries and librarians in their local communities.”
Many thanks to Matthew Noe for inspiring this post.