Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read

“Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.” - Voltaire

The 44^th annual Banned Books Week is October 4^th – 10^th and this year’s theme is “Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read”. Every year members of the Banned Books Week Coalition, including ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and PEN America, shine a light on attempts to restrict people’s access to books across the country.  Bans, challenges, and restrictions of access were particularly rampant in 2025, the last full year data was collected. As published on the ALA website, here are some of the lowlights: 

• ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) tracked 4,235 unique titles challenged in 2025, the second highest ever documented by ALA. The highest ever documented was 4,240 in 2023.
• Of the unique titles challenged in 2025, 1,671 (39%) represent the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people and people of color.
• ALA documented 713 attempts to censor library materials and services, 487 of which targeted books.
• In 2025, 92% of all book challenges were initiated by pressure groups, government officials and decision makers, up from 72% in 2024. Less than 3% of challenges originated from individual parents.
• OIF documented 5,668 books banned from libraries (66% of the total challenged) in 2025. An additional 920 books were censored through access restrictions such as relocation or requiring parental permission. This is both the highest number of titles censored in one year and the highest rate of challenges resulting in censorship from 1990–2025.

Stop by the library lobby to check out our pop-up display where you will find information about the top 11 most challenged books, the state of America’s libraries, and buttons & bookmarks you can take to display your advocacy for everybody’s freedom to read. You can also browse our online collections of often challenged titles both on our website and in Libby!