Today is the start of the annual Banned Books Week, launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Library Association, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the Association of American Publishers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the National Association of College Stores. Banned Books Week is also endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.
By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship, which is why this year's theme is "Censorship Leaves Us in the Dark." The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles lists of challenged books as reported in the media and submitted by librarians and teachers across the country. In 2018, The ALA tracked 347 challenges to library, school and university materials and services in 2018, which included 483 different book titles.
Just as a reminder, more than 4,000 books were banned and burned in Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1945. If you'd like to learn more about ways you can help stem the tide of censorship in the U.S., the American Library Association has some suggestions.
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