Banned and Challenged Books: A Look at the Issues

In 1967, the American Library Association (ALA) established the Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF). We’ll explore how this office launched Banned Books Week and their mission to fight against censorship and intellectual freedom. Faced with increasing legislation—locally, regionally, and nationally—libraries continue to advocate to keep knowledge available for those who want access. Books are challenged for many reasons such as promoting critical race theory (CRT), LGBTQIA+ content, physical abuse, sexual content, and profanity. Blocking access to information students need to understand complex issues can cause harm, including the dangers related to a single story, or may have consequences, where our democracy suffers from lack of critical thinking skills.