American Library Association Reveals Preliminary Data on 2024 Book Challenges (1,128 Unique Titles Challenged From Jan. 1, 2024-Aug. 31, 2024)

Note: Media coverage from AP (below) is helpful in understanding the differences in how PEN America and ALA define and count book bans/book challenges.

From the American Library Association (ALA):

The American Library Association has released preliminary data documenting attempts to censor books and materials in public, school, and academic libraries during the first eight months of 2024 in preparation for Banned Books Week (September 22-28, 2024).

Between January 1 and August 31, 2024, ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 414 attempts to censor library materials and services. In those cases, 1,128 unique titles were challenged. In the same reporting period last year, ALA tracked 695 attempts with 1,915 unique titles challenged. Though the number of reports to date has declined in 2024, the number of documented attempts to censor books continues to far exceed the numbers prior to 2020. Additionally, instances of soft censorship, where books are purchased but placed in restricted areas, not used in library displays, or otherwise hidden or kept off limits due to fear of challenges illustrate the impact of organized censorship campaigns on students’ and readers’ freedom to read. In some circumstances, books have been preemptively excluded from library collections, taken off the shelves before they are banned, or not purchased for library collections in the first place.

“As these preliminary numbers show, we must continue to stand up for libraries and challenge censorship wherever it occurs,” said American Library Association President Cindy Hohl. “We know library professionals throughout the country are committed to preserving our freedom to choose what we read and what our children read, even though many librarians face criticism and threats to their livelihood and safety. We urge everyone to join librarians in defending the freedom to read. We know people don’t like being told what they are allowed to read, and we’ve seen communities come together to fight back and protect their libraries and schools from the censors.”

The Office for Intellectual Freedom compiles data on book challenges from reports by library professionals in the field and from news stories published throughout the United States. Because many book challenges are not reported to the ALA or covered by the press, the 2024 data compiled by ALA represents only a snapshot of book censorship throughout the first eight months of the year.

As ALA continues to document the harms of censorship, we celebrate those whose advocacy and support are helping to end censorship in our libraries.

Read the Complete Announcement From ALA

Media Coverage

Banned Books Week Starts With Mixed Messages as Reports Show Challenges Both Up and Down (via AP News)

The American Library Association found a substantial drop in 2024 so far in complaints about books stocked in public, school and academic libraries, and in the number of books receiving objections. Meanwhile, PEN America is documenting an explosion in books being removed from school shelves in 2023-24, tripling to more than 10,000 over the previous year. More than 8,000 were pulled just in Florida and Iowa, where laws restricting the content of books have been passed.

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According to PEN, bans are tallied through local media reports, “school district websites, and school board minutes, as well as organizational partners” such as the Florida Freedom to Read Project and Let Utah Read.

The library association relies primarily on local media and accounts from public librarians. And the two organizations have differing definitions of “ban,” a key reason their numbers vary so greatly. For the ALA, a ban is the permanent removal of a book from a library’s collection. Should hundreds of books be pulled from a library for review, then returned, they are not counted as banned, but listed as a single “challenge.”

For PEN, withdrawals of any length qualify as bans.

Read the Complete AP Article

See Also: Preliminary Findings From PEN America Show Over 10,000 Books Were Banned in Public Schools During the 2023-2024 School Year (vs. 3,362 in Previous School Year)

More Media Coverage

• New State Laws Are Fueling a Surge in Book Bans (via The NY Times)
  
• US Public Schools Banned 10,000 Books in Most Recent Academic Year (via The Guardian)

Filed under: Academic Libraries, Associations and Organizations, Data Files, Libraries, News, Reports