Censorship & Banned Books
Ask a Librarian
Censorship & Intellectual Freedom
- What is Censorship?
- Censorship is the suppression of ideas and information that some individuals, groups, or government officials find objectionable or dangerous. Those who attempt to censor try to use the power of the state to impose their view of what is truthful and appropriate (or not) on everyone else and pressure public institutions, like libraries, to restrict and remove materials to prevent others from reading them.
- Book challenges and bans are forms of censorship.
- What is Intellectual Freedom?
- Intellectual freedom is the right of every person to seek and receive information from all points of view, without restriction. This right is guaranteed under the First Amendment of the Constitution, which allows people to speak, publish, read, and view what they wish.
- Book challenges and bans violate intellectual freedom.
- American Library Association "Intellectual Freedom & Censorship Q&A"
Mapping Censorship in the United States
- Challenges to the Freedom to Read, 2015-2024This interactive map from the American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom shows the attempts made in the United States to restrict access to books from 2015 to 2024. Use the arrows to navigate to different years, learn which books were banned the most, and compare different states.