This week marks the annual Banned Books Week across the country, which celebrates free speech and rallies against censorship. The Hawaiʻi Library Association and American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii partnered to launch this year's celebration, which is themed “Censorship is so 1984. Read for your rights".

As libraries across the United States observe Banned Books Week, the Hawaii State Public Library System has rebranded it as “Freedom to Read.”

This report offers a window into the complex and extensive climate of censorship between July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.

Pioneering actor, author, and activist George Takei has been named honorary chair of Banned Books Week, which will take place October 5 – 11, 2025. Takei will be joined in leading the annual event by youth honorary chair Iris Mogul.

CHEYENNE — The Wyoming Legislature is considering a bill that librarians from across the state say will eliminate young adult and teenage sections from public libraries, calling it unnecessary and

PEN America, the writers and free expression group that has been at the forefront nationally of documenting spreading school book bans, today filed a legal brief  in an appeal by the state of Iowa to a federal judge’s ruling blocking enforcement of part of a 2023 law that led to the removal of thousands of books from the state’s schools that depict or even mention sexual activity.

The book ban bill vetoed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte would have allowed parents to request books, films, and other items that depicted nudity and sexual contact to be removed from their child's school.

In this episode, Craig and Olivia chat with Cory Doctorow about tech monopolies and how authors and readers alike can divest from Amazon.

Has your favorite book been removed from local libraries? The restriction and removal of books in libraries and bookstores–including literary classics–have come front and center in the culture wars.

Only one library book ban case has ever been decided by the U.S. Supreme Court: Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26 v. Pico (1982). In 1975, the Island Trees school b…

The bills would have applied the state's obscenity laws to local libraries and allow counties and cities to terminate library board members.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on May 23 reversed a district court’s preliminary injunction and dismissed free speech claims in Little v. Llano County, a Texas case challenging the removal of 17 books from a public library.

North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong vetoed a library content bill, calling it “a misguided attempt to legislate morality through overreach and censorship.”

Anecdotal evidence suggests a rise in requests to take books off shelves, particularly LGBTQ+ titles

A federal judge says Iowa for now cannot continue to enforce part of its book ban law. The decision Tuesday gives major publishers that sued the state their latest temporary reprieve.

Proponents point to historic highs in book ban attempts, largely targeting people of color, women and LGBTQ+ communities. Opponents argue it should be up to the parents.

Georgia is considering a bill aimed at preventing children from accessing explicit library material. Opponents say it would chill free speech

The EveryLibrary Institute is collecting and analyzing polling and surveys about book bans, anti-access legislation, and the perception of libraries/librarians to help advocates quickly find and interpret results.

Patty Hector lost job after being targeted by campaign urging restriction of books with race and LGBTQ+ themes

2024 was an eventful year for the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and its membership of research libraries and archives in major public and private universities, federal government agencies, and...

A Sarah Jessica Parker-produced documentary on the brave librarians fighting a wave of rightwing book bans has sparked conversation at Sundance

Challenges to nonbook materials -- such as displays, social media posts, reading lists, and programs -- are on the rise. What should libraries do in the face of these attacks?

Democrat Rhode Island lawmakers on Wednesday promoted a suite of bills motivated by the Freedom to Read movement — an assertion of libraries’ right to hold controversial books, amid an ongoing culture clash over the written word.

Both the Indiana and Iowa State Legislatures have introduced legislation regarding criminally charging libraries and librarians over “inappropriate” material. These bills are closely related to widespread book challenges occurring at schools and public libraries across the nation, with people trying to remove books that address certain topics relating to gender, sexuality, and race from library collections. In many cases there is already a clear process for reconsidering materials in a collection, so how do legal defenses play a role in this and what do the bills change?

Expert Contributes to First Update in American Library Association Standards Since 1992

Two new reports provide a mixed but compelling outlook on the wave of book removals and challenges as the annual Banned Books Week begins for schools, stores and libraries nationwide.

On September 10, 2024, AAP and allies filed a second amicus brief in support of Texas public library patron plaintiffs in Little v. Llano County following the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals’ order of a full court rehearing of its June 6, 2024 decision. That earlier decision largely—but not entirely—upheld a preliminary injunction against the unconstitutional […]

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