2021-2022 Banned & Challenged Books

...They reach across boundaries and barriers, building connections and igniting discussions between readers to share worlds and ideas. Books are an opportunity to not only see a part of ourselves, but also understand out similarities and differences. Reading books - especially books that extend beyond our own experiences - expands our world, making it bigger and more inclusive. - Banned & Challenged Books Field Report 2020

Banned Books Week (September 18 - September 24th, 2022) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools.

This Field Report compiles public bans and challenges to books, programs, displays, and other materials in libraries and schools that were reported in the news or recorded in public records. Each description includes a citation, and notes, when available, whether the challenged resource was retained or banned.

Since the 1990s, the American Library Association (ALA) has been recording reports of attempts to remove materials and services in libraries and schools. Many of the reports request confidential support, as some librarians and educators fear repercussions for defending the freedom to read. In a time when many libraries and schools closed or moved their activities and services online because of the COVID-19 pandemic, ALA tracked 156 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2020, threatening access to 273 books. The Field Report includes 58 public challenges. - Banned & Challenged Books Field Report 2020