New Report: “In Their Own Words. Youth Voices on Books Unbanned.”

From The Seattle Times:

Book censorship, bans and restrictions remain a pressing challenge for youth across the country, according to a Books Unbanned report released Wednesday by the Seattle Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library.

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BPL founded the Books Unbanned program in 2022 to combat that censorship by expanding digital access to its collections to U.S. youth. Since SPL joined the program in 2023, more than 8,000 young people across the United States signed up for a SPL Books Unbanned card to check out a range of books, including titles banned or censored in their own communities

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Report findings reveal that bans and attempts to censor or restrict books have created a “climate of fear and intimidation” for youth. In the report, over 800 youth from across the country shared stories of books being locked up or unavailable, librarians criticizing their checkouts and limiting collections of books young people want to read. Their experiences also shed light on the impact of quiet or soft censorship, in which youth have lost access to books due to personal safety concerns, as well as librarians removing books to avoid controversy.

Learn More, Read the Complete Article (about 730 words)

Direct to Full Text Report: In Their Own Words. Youth Voices on Books Unbanned.
20 pages; PDF.

Filed under: Libraries, News, Public Libraries