Censorship by the Numbers

ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom documented 1,247 demands to censor library books and resources in 2023. The number of titles targeted for censorship surged 65% in 2023 compared to 2022, reaching the highest levels ever documented by OIF in more than 20 years of tracking: 4,240 unique book titles were targeted for removal from schools and libraries. This tops the previous high from 2022, when 2,571 unique titles were targeted for censorship. Titles representing the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals made up 47% of those targeted in censorship attempts.

Groups and individuals demanding the censorship of multiple titles, often dozens or hundreds at a time, drove this surge in 2023. Attempts to censor more than 100 titles occurred in 17 states: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

For more information and ways to take action, visit the sites below:

Unite Against Book Bans:                https://uniteagainstbookbans.org/

American Library Association:      https://www.ala.org/bbooks

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund:  https://cbldf.org/

Freedom to Read Foundation:        https://www.ftrf.org/

Human Rights Campaign:                https://www.hrc.org/

National Book Foundation:             https://www.nationalbook.org/

National Coalition Against Censorship:   https://ncac.org/

The Authors Guild:                             https://authorsguild.org/

League of Women Voters Guide to Elected Officials:   https://lwvofpwm.org/directory-public-officials/