Department of Education Calls Book Bans a ‘Hoax,’ Alarming Free Speech Advocates

PEN America and the American Library Association have reported thousands of bans over the past few years, with targeted books often containing LGBTQ+ or racial themes.

As Banned Books Week Starts, Reports Show Challenges Both Up and Down

Challenges have surged to record highs over the past few years, and the 2024 totals so far still exceed the American Library Association's numbers before 2020.

LGBTQ+ Librarians Grapple With Attacks on Books – And on Themselves

The American Library Association said it documented the highest-ever number of titles targeted for censorship in 2023 in more than 20 years of tracking — 4,240.

Georgia Senate Considers Controls on School Libraries and Criminal Charges for Librarians

Opponents said it’s important for students to be able to explore their interests and that the bill could violate students’ First Amendment rights.

Conservative Book Ban Push Sparks Some State Withdrawals From American Library Association

After parents in a rural and staunchly conservative Wyoming county joined nationwide pressure on librarians to pull books they considered harmful to youngsters, the local library board obliged with new policies making such books a higher priority for removal — and keeping out of collections.

An Unprecedented Uptick in Book Bans Brings First Amendment Scrutiny

Virginia is among the top 10 states in book banning conflicts, according to a PEN America study. There, the ongoing battle has led most recently to a state judge throwing out a decades-old state obscenity law that had the effect of imposing a prior restraint on book distributors. And it stirred widespread opposition including one of the largest booksellers in the nation, Barnes & Noble.