During the week of October 1 through 7, 2023, the American library world commemorates Banned Books Week, a national effort to celebrate the freedom to read and the freedom to view while drawing attention to the hundreds of challenges that libraries and schools face each year to censor and remove books and other materials from their collections.
Book challenges and bans are happening ... a lot
As the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom notes, "In a time of intense political polarization, library staff in every state are facing an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books." In 2022, the American Library Association (ALA) documented 1,269 requests to ban library books and resources, the highest number of attempts since ALA began keeping track more than 20 years ago.
An attempt to ban library materials often impacts numerous titles. In 2022, the 1,269 documented demands to remove materials from libraries targeted 2,571 titles. While no one person, group, or type of library material is immune from censorship, such efforts inordinately target works "by or about LGBTQIA+ persons and Black, Indigenous, and people of color."
In the effort to censor library materials, school and public libraries bear the brunt of the challenges while college and university libraries account for only 1% of all would-be censors' demands. A survey commissioned by ALA in 2022 "confirmed national, bipartisan support for the freedom to read" finding that 7 out of 10 American voters "oppose efforts to remove books from public libraries, including majorities of voters across party lines." Nevertheless, censorship has the potential to impact entire communities, age groups, and audiences. Some 82% of challenges in 2022 targeted books, graphic novels, and textbooks, but films, displays, exhibits, programs, and meeting rooms are also targeted.
Here's how to help
There are ways you can get involved, to voice your concerns about censorship, celebrate free expression, and show the importance of intellectual freedom. The ALA Banned and Challenged Books website provides guidance on what you can do to resist censorship and "let freedom read." The Advocacy Committee of the South Carolina Library Association (SCLA) offers another way to stay informed, show support, and get involved, as does the South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL).
Join us on Tuesday, April 11, for what promises to be an engaging presentation and discussion, "'Justice for All'? Competing Visions in Reconstruction-Era South Carolina," with Carmen V. Harris, Ph.D., Professor of History and Faculty Chair, USC Upstate, as the featured speaker.
