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.

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. 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 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. 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 in response to the new data. 
5. Spread the word on social media. Share today's #UniteAgainstBookBans posts (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram) or use the graphics at the bottom of our 2023 book ban data page to share on your social networks.

With thanks for your support,
The Unite Against Book Bans Team