September 18-24 was Banned Books Week. This is a dedicated week that stands against censorship, specifically in librarianship. Book banning has increased significantly in America these past few years as it grows from individual efforts to broader efforts that may be supported by politicians. This past year, over 700 challenges occurred. This current year, over 600 challenges have already attempted to ban library resources, with over 1.6k unique titles being targeted. At the current rate, book challenges are predicted to exceed last year’s record.

Why is this important? The action of book bans usually occurs when parents will ask for certain books to be removed from libraries and classrooms. The reasons are largely stated as being too ‘sexually explicit’, ‘LGBTQIA’ and ‘critical race theory’. This brings up the importance of diversity in representation. Having diversity in what we consume allows people to engage with marginalized groups that we’re not a part of. For both children and adults, it reduces negative stereotypes that may have built up. It is especially important to consume material of marginalized communities that have been written by authors in that community, as it brings significant authenticity to the work. Additionally, it allows people in these groups to feel seen and represented, which is also vital to children.

All of these are valuable reasons, yet because they were unknown, they are seen as ‘dangerous’ to those unfamiliar or prejudiced against it. The queer community in particular is commonly conflated with being promiscuous or sexual, rather than an exploration of identity. By trying to ban these books, people want this to be inaccessible to everyone rather than letting people make their own decisions to read it or not. It becomes important for librarians across the continent to continue pursuing diverse representation whether it be showcased in displays or in the library generally, for publishers to be aware and try to remedy this gap, and for us to be aware and fight back against book challenges.

Although Banned Books Week has ended, this does not diminish the importance of fighting back against censorship or the importance of representation. If you have time this week, go to your local library and check out a book that may be banned somewhere else!

Thank you to Dr. Dawn Betts-Green for providing some of the material in this post.