Hawaii Library System Bans Displays That Refer to 'Banned Books Week,' Rebrands to 'Freedom to Read'
As libraries across the United States observe Banned Books Week, the Hawaii State Public Library System has rebranded it as “Freedom to Read.”
Legendary Actor/Author/Activist George Takei Named Honorary Chair of Banned Books Week 2025 | ALA
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.
ACLU sues on behalf of librarian fired after opposing book censorship effort
Patty Hector lost job after being targeted by campaign urging restriction of books with race and LGBTQ+ themes
Uptick in First Amendment Audits | American Libraries Magazine
Libraries are now reporting more aggressive, targeted, and organized First Amendment audits than in years past.
Sample Reconsideration Form | ALA
Every library — academic, public, and school (public, private, charter, independent, and international) — should have a comprehensive written policy that guides the selection, deselection or weeding, and reconsideration of library resources. The most valuable selection policy is current; it is reviewed and revised on a regular basis; and it is familiar to all members of a library’s staff. The policy should be approved by the library’s governing board or other policy-making body and disseminated widely for understanding by all stakeholders.
Democratic state lawmakers back bills protecting individual freedom to read and think • Rhode Island Current
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.
Beyond Book Banning: Efforts to Criminally Charge Librarians
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?
Book Ban Data | Banned Books
The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) has released new data documenting book challenges throughout the United States, finding that challenges were nearly double that of 2021, reaching the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago.