[CASL-L] Fwd: NEW 2023 Censorship Data: Numbers Reach Record High

[Barbara Johnson]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Unite Against Book Bans <uniteagainstbookbans at ala.org>
Date: Thu, Mar 14, 2024, 2:15 PM
Subject: NEW 2023 Censorship Data: Numbers Reach Record High
To: Barbara Johnson <bajohnson at colchesterct.org>


No images? Click here
<https://uniteagainstbookbans.cmail20.com/t/i-e-akrtdtk-tipsldlh-z/>
<https://uniteagainstbookbans.cmail20.com/t/i-l-akrtdtk-tipsldlh-r/>
[image: Number of unique titles challenged 2021 - 2023. 2021: 1,651. 2022:
2,571. 2023: 4,240. Unite Against Book Bans.]
<https://uniteagainstbookbans.cmail20.com/t/i-l-akrtdtk-tipsldlh-y/>
2023 saw the HIGHEST number of challenged book titles ever documented by
the American Library Association.

Dear Barbara,

The American Library Association (ALA) released censorship figures from
2023 today. The data is alarming
<https://uniteagainstbookbans.cmail20.com/t/i-l-akrtdtk-tipsldlh-j/>.

ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) documented efforts to censor *4,240
unique book titles in schools and libraries in 2023, fully eclipsing 2022’s
previous high of 2,571 unique titles targeted for censorship. *The 4,240
unique titles make up a combined 1,247 demands to censor library books,
materials, and resources in 2023.

OIF also identified 17 different states, including Connecticut, Florida,
North Carolina, and Wisconsin, that each saw attempts to censor more than
100 titles. In Florida alone, 2,672 titles were challenged in schools and
libraries. The numbers highlight a recent trend in the censorship
landscape: challenging multiple titles—often dozens or hundreds—at a time.

Pressure groups have redirected their aim from schools to public libraries,
and the attacks continue to disproportionately target books by and about
LGBTQIA+ people and people of color, which make up about *nearly half* of
the titles challenged in 2023.

“The reports from librarians and educators in the field make it clear that
the organized campaigns to ban books aren’t over, and that we must all
stand together to preserve our right to choose what we read. Each demand to
ban a book is a demand to deny each person’s constitutionally protected
right to choose and read books that raise important issues and lift up the
voices of those who are often silenced.” — OIF director Deborah
Caldwell-Stone

Many challenges go unreported to OIF, and the 2023 figures represent only a
fraction of actual censorship numbers.

*What can you do about it?*

   1. Encourage others to join the Unite Against Book Bans campaign
   <https://uniteagainstbookbans.cmail20.com/t/i-l-akrtdtk-tipsldlh-t/>.
   Every person who joins the campaign is another voice we can call on to take
   action in the fight against book bans.
   2. Report censorship
   <https://uniteagainstbookbans.cmail20.com/t/i-l-akrtdtk-tipsldlh-i/> to
   ALA. Reporting censorship and challenges to materials, resources, and
   services is vital to defending library resources and protecting against
   challenges before they happen.
   3. Make a plan to attend your library or school board meeting
   <https://uniteagainstbookbans.cmail20.com/t/i-l-akrtdtk-tipsldlh-d/>.
   Most book ban battles are being fought on the local level, and attending
   these meetings is one of the most critical actions you can take to fend off
   book bans.
   4. Write a letter to the editor
   <https://uniteagainstbookbans.cmail20.com/t/i-l-akrtdtk-tipsldlh-h/> in
   response to the new data.
   5. Spread the word on social media. Share today's #UniteAgainstBookBans
   posts (Facebook
   <https://uniteagainstbookbans.cmail20.com/t/i-l-akrtdtk-tipsldlh-b/>,
   Twitter/X
   <https://uniteagainstbookbans.cmail20.com/t/i-l-akrtdtk-tipsldlh-n/>,
   Instagram
   <https://uniteagainstbookbans.cmail20.com/t/i-l-akrtdtk-tipsldlh-p/>) or
   use the graphics at the bottom of our 2023 book ban data page
   <https://uniteagainstbookbans.cmail20.com/t/i-l-akrtdtk-tipsldlh-x/> to
   share on your social networks.

With thanks for your support,
The Unite Against Book Bans Team
[image: On a blue and red background is the text: Join us in the fight
against censorship. Unite Against Book Bans. UniteAgainstBookBans.org]
<https://uniteagainstbookbans.cmail20.com/t/i-l-akrtdtk-tipsldlh-m/>
[image: Facebook]
<https://uniteagainstbookbans.cmail20.com/t/i-l-akrtdtk-tipsldlh-c/>[image:
Twitter]
<https://uniteagainstbookbans.cmail20.com/t/i-l-akrtdtk-tipsldlh-q/>[image:
Instagram]
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<https://uniteagainstbookbans.cmail20.com/t/i-l-akrtdtk-tipsldlh-f/>

Unite Against Book Bans is an initiative of the American Library
Association, in partnership with organizations and individuals across the
country who believe in protecting the right to read.

For more information, visit https://UniteAgainstBookBans.org or email
UniteAgainstBookBans at ala.org.
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