Banned Books Week started in 1982 and has now become an annual celebration of the freedom to read and to promote the importance of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week was started as a response to the rising surge in numbers of challenges to books available in schools, bookstores and libraries.
When you visit the shop this week – make sure to check out our Banned Book display of select titles that have been banned or challenged in the past. If you happen to be looking for a specific challenged/banned book and we don’t have it in the shop, please let us know so that we can get it on the shelf for you!
In 2018 alone, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 347 challenges to library, school and university materials and services, with a total of 483 books challenged or banned within the United States alone. These numbers are only a partial glimpse into the book challenges and bans, due to 82-97% of challenges and requests to remove materials from libraries or schools remain unreported.
