2026 marks 50 years of the American Library Association advocating for intellectual freedom. The Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) recommended an ALA unit be established in 1965. It's goal was to “promote and protect the interests of intellectual freedom.”
Celebrate the freedom to read during Banned Books Week from October 4-10 2026. Banned Books Week was founded in the 1980's. There was a surge of challenges across bookstores, schools, and public libraries in the United States. In 1982, the American Booksellers Association BookExpo America trade show displayed banned books . At the entrance to the convention center were large, padlocked metal cages. The held 500 challenged books stacked inside. A large overhead sign cautioned that some people considered these books dangerous.
Book challenges continue today. There are ongoing requests to remove or censor materials for a variety of reasons. The ALA and most library professionals do not support censorship. Instead they use this opportunity to educate the public on the cause.
The theme for 2026 is "Let Books Be: Protect the Freedom to Read." Every year an Honorary Chairperson is chosen to help promote the celebration. This year, the honor is shared by four individuals. Bess Kalb and Tony Weaver, Jr., plus two Youth Chairs Marshall Romero and Azeemah Sadiq we named.
Censorship by the Numbers: Banned Books Data | Banned Books
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92% of challenges in 2025 were initiated by pressure groups or government officials
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ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 4,235 unique titles challenged in 2025. That was the second highest number of challenges ever documented by ALA.
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In 2025, 1,671 titles represented the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people and people of color.
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ALA documented 713 attempts to censor library materials and services. 487 of those attempts targeted books.
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In 2025, 92% of all book challenges were initiated by pressure groups, government officials, and decision makers. That is an increase from 2024 in which 72% of the challenges were initiated by the same group of people . Less than 3% of challenges originated from individual parents.
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The Office for Intellectual Freedom documented 5,668 books banned from libraries in 2025. That was 66% of the total books challenged. An additional 920 books were censored through access restrictions. Restrictions include relocating books or requiring parental permission to check them out. This is the highest number of titles censored in one year. It is also the highest rate of challenges resulting in censorship from 1990–2025.
The following is a list of the top 11 (some ties) challenged books of the last year. Check one out from your SCCLD library!
