Challenge: An attempt to remove or restrict materials based upon the objections of a person or group. Challenges are more than a person expressing a point of view; they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thus restricting access to these materials
Banning: The removal of challenged materials
October 1-7, 2023
"ALA documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago. The unparalleled number of reported book challenges in 2022 nearly doubles the 729 book challenges reported in 2021. Of the record 2,571 unique titles targeted for censorship, these are most challenged, including reasons cited for censoring the books" (2022 Book Ban Data).
About Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week was launched in the 1980s, a time of increased challenges, organized protests, and the Island Trees School District v. Pico (1982) Supreme Court case, which ruled that school officials can’t ban books in libraries simply because of their content. It is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. It brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. To learn more, visit https://bannedbooksweek.org/banned-books-week-2021-books-unite-us/.