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UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Banned Books Week

Censorship by the numbers. "Freed Between the Lines". Who initiates attempts to censor books? Image of pie chart based on statistics of 954 cases. 13% Board/Administration. 3% Librarians/Teachers/staff. 2% Elected officials/government. 9% Other/Unknown. In 2023, organized pressure groups used their power to try to empty library shelves of all books they deem inappropriate. ALA.ORG/BBOOKS

Censorship by the numbers. "Freed Between the Lines" Number of Unique Titles Challenged By Year. Image of line graph depicting the number of titles challenged by year. 390 in 204. 183 in 2014. 1,858 in 2021. 2,571 in 2022. 4,240 in 2023. Censorship on the Rise. The record-breaking number of unique titles targeted in 2023 marked a 65% increase over 2022. Prior to 2021, the average number of unique titles targeted per year was 273. ALA.ORG/BBOOKS

Censorship By the Numbers. "Freed Between the Lines" Where do Censorship Attempts Take Place? Public library collections came under increased scrutiny in 2023. A significant factor in the increase was that groups who had previously targeted materials in school libraries began bringing challenges to the same titles at their public library. 54% Public libraries. 39% School libraries. 5% Schools. 2% Higher education/other. Statistics based on 1,247 cases with know locations. ALA.ORG/BBOOKS