This week is National Banned Books Week. So what is your favorite challenged book? Looking through the lists I’m hard pressed to pic just one Harry Potter
If you’re not familiar with Banned Books Week here is some info from ALA
About Banned Books Week
Background Information from 2000 to 2009: Over this recent past decade, 5,099* challenges were reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom.
- 1,577 challenges due to “sexually explicit” material;
- 1,291 challenges due to “offensive language”;
- 989 challenges due to materials deemed “unsuited to age group”;
- 619 challenged due to “violence”‘ and
- 361 challenges due to “homosexuality.”
- Further, 274 materials were challenged due to “occult” or “Satanic” themes, an additional 291 were challenged due to their “religious viewpoint,” and 119 because they were “anti-family.”
Please note that the number of challenges and the number of reasons for those challenges do not match, because works are often challenged on more than one ground.
1,639 of these challenges were in school libraries; 1,811 were in classrooms; 1,217 took place in public libraries. There were 114 challenges to materials used in college classes; and 30 to academic libraries. There are isolated cases of challenges to library materials made available in or by prisons, special libraries, community groups, and students. The vast majority of challenges were initiated by parents (2,535), with patrons and administrators to follow (516 and 489 respectively).
Show Your Support
- Join the Freedom to Read Foundation – it only costs $35 a year
- Report a challenged book at your institution to ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom
- Read a Challenged Book – lists by decade, lists by year
- Donate $10.00 to help support the Banned Books Week initiative by texting ALABBW to 41518.
- Join/Attend one of the many cool events planned for this week
- Support your local library
- Support Every Library – a nonprofit social welfare organization chartered to work exclusively on local library ballot initiatives
Librarian by Day 
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