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Books Unbanned—the initiative started by Brooklyn Public Library in 2022 to provide access to books to young people impacted by censorship—marked a new milestone today. The coalition—which also includes The Seattle Public Library, Boston Public Library, LA County Public Library, San Diego Public Library, and the newest partner, Long Beach Public Library—have together provided over 51,000 digital library cards to teens and young adults in all 50 states. Books Unbanned library card holders have checked out over 1,000,000 e-books.
“The very mission of a public library is to support the right of every individual to seek information from all points of view without restriction. Limiting access is a threat to democracy itself,” said Linda E. Johnson, President and CEO, Brooklyn Public Library.
Books Unbanned was conceived in response to an increasingly coordinated political and organized effort to remove books from library shelves around the country. Starting in 2020, the American Library Association reported a dramatic record-breaking increase in challenges to books including Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Art Spiegelman’s Maus, a Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the Holocaust.
Books for teens are most often the target of censors. The majority of books being removed are by or about the LGBQTIA+ community or about people of color. “My school library has been entirely cleared out and locked in a closet, and the only public libraries nearby are outright removing every piece of LGBT… media [they] possibly can. I just want to read,” a fifteen-year-old Books Unbanned cardholder from Georgia said.
Librarians are also facing threats and harsh rhetoric.
Public libraries across the country were founded on the promise to allow all who are curious unrestricted access to books—from all sides—without judgment. The coalition offers young people multiple access points for books, limiting the impact of censors and expanding access to the joy and learning that books can provide, helping us understand ourselves and one another. “I’ve been able to read books that are about experiences that make me feel like it’s okay to be who I am,” said a 16-year-old Books Unbanned card holder from Georgia.
To learn more about the program or to sign up for a Books Unbanned library card from any of the participating libraries, visit http://booksunbanned.com/
About Books UnbannedInspired by the American Library Association's Freedom to Read Statement and the Library Bill of Rights, Brooklyn Public Library founded Books Unbanned in 2022 to support the rights of teens nationwide to read what they like, form their own opinions, and work together with peers across the nation to defend and expand the freedom to read. In addition to Brooklyn Public Library, partners include The Seattle Public Library, Boston Public Library, LA County Public Library, San Diego Public Library, and Long Beach Public Library.
Books Unbanned responds to an increasingly coordinated and effective effort to remove books tackling a wide range of topics from library shelves in schools and public libraries nationwide.