WHAT IS A CHALLENGED OR BANNED BOOK?

"A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. Due to the commitment of librarians, teachers, parents, students and other concerned citizens, most challenges are unsuccessful and most materials are retained in the school curriculum or library collection. Books usually are challenged with the best intentions—to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information. See Notable First Amendment Cases. Censorship can be subtle, almost imperceptible, as well as blatant and overt, but, nonetheless, harmful. (Source)."

"Infographics", American Library Association, March 26, 2013. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/statistics (Accessed February 21, 2022)

Note within the first eight months of 2022 more that 1651 challenges. There was a 128% increase in challenges so far from the year before. According to ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedom this has gone from one a week to multiples per week (Source: Authors Speak Out Against Attempts to Ban Books).

Censorship Attacks Sheet by Every Library Institute

Dr. Magnusson invites people to report new information or help correct errors and omissions by contacting her at tasslyn@gmail.com.

Censorship Attacks Resource

"Dr. Magnusson’s research begins near the start of the 2021-22 school year. The tabs are organized by School District, Books Challenged/Banned in School Districts, by public libraries, and books banned/challenged in school libraries. Additional tabs include lists of groups formed to push book bans and challenges and organizations and groups formed to push back against these political actions. The final tab is a list of other relevant articles found during research which includes student and teacher responses to bans as well as investigative pieces on funding of the political groups supporting bans." (Source)

Auburn HS Board Mtg.

Beth Cuddy, librarian at Auburn High School, spoke at Tuesday's school board about the concerns some parents have raised about the inclusion of "All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto," by George M. Johnson, in the library's collection.

Authors Speakout

‘Perhaps many people’s biggest fear is that their children may come home and say, ‘I think you may be wrong’’ — These authors are speaking out against attempts to ban their books.

Top 10 Most Banned & Challenged Books of 2021

Hey ya'll! Here is my second video for National Library Week. If you want to know more about this week definitely check out ALA's Banned Book Website

My Religion and My Banned Books

In which John discusses his work as a chaplain, his religion, his books, and why he writes books that endeavor to stand there. As is usually the case with videos where I even obliquely attempt to talk about faith, I feel very unsettled about this one (hence all the textual asides), as my relationship with religious institutions (even progressive ones) is increasingly ~complicated~. But I wanted to try to express that the people trying to restrict access to information and human rights do not speak for me or for all Christians.

Book bans in America are rising

Here's a look at what's lost. Cries to remove books from classrooms and library shelves is nothing new. Some of what has shifted are the storylines, characters and authors being silenced.

Book banning in U.S. schools and libraries on the rise

A library in Michigan could close after the town voted to defund it over a handful of LGBTQ+ books that some deem inappropriate. Elaine Quijano takes a look.

Banned Books Levar Burton

Banned Books Parody but perhaps not really.....With all these book bans, Levar Burton's life just got a lot more difficult

Book Bans & Challenges

Book challenges are nothing new; it's a war that's been waged in libraries across America for decades. But according to the American Library Association, there were 330 "book challenges" in the fall of 2021 alone, an uptick from the same period across recent years. So why are we seeing this trend making a comeback?

Avlon on Book Bans

CNN's John Avlon looks at the reasons why several states have introduced bills restricting the teaching of sensitive topics in schools and banning books deemed offensive to children.

Banned Books: What a new wave of restrictions could mean for students

Titles like "Maus" and "Beloved" are being pulled from libraries across the country amid an uptick in book bans. Here's how that could affect students. The American Library Association has documented a "dramatic uptick" in challenges to books in libraries' collections. In some states, titles are being pulled from libraries at an unprecedented rate. The association received 330 reports of such challenges last fall alone.

Nationwide Effort to

Advocates are sounding the alarm about a set of measures that they say target teaching and writing related to LGBTQ issues, race and freedom of speech. Around the country, efforts to ban specific books or even whole categories of books are on the rise. Jeffrey Brown has a conversation for our arts and culture series, "CANVAS."

Around the country, school librarians are reporting an increasing number of requests from parents and politicians to ban or censor books available to children. Nadra Nittle, a reporter for The 19th, a non-profit newsroom covering politics, gender and policy, documented these complaints – and how librarians are pushing back. She joins Hari Sreenivasan for more.

What We Loose When a Book is Banned
TedEd Student Talk

Student Ellen Lovellette explores what we lose when classic books are censored and removed from libraries. What do "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," and "Diary of a Young Girl" all have in common? They're all classic books being challenged and removed from libraries. This is a big mistake, says student Ellen Lovellette. By removing books from libraries, you're taking away important pieces of history from future young readers. In this Talk, Ellen explains why all books have valuable lessons to teach, and what we lose when they're taken away.

‘Overwhelming’ demand for banned books in U.S.

Amid an unparalleled censorship bid in the U.S. that has seen more than 1,000 book titles pulled from schools within the past year, according to PEN America, the librarians at the Brooklyn Public Library are fighting localized suppression with 'Books Unbanned.'