Censorship is so 1984! This classic book details a future where much of the world falls victim to the subversion of truth and the reign of propaganda. Today, libraries and schools continue to defend the power of truth in diverse storytelling from ongoing book bans and challenges throughout the United States.
According to the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), 1,452 unique titles were challenged in 2024. Though a decrease from 2023's numbers, the number of documented attempts to censor books continues to far exceed the numbers prior to 2020. These numbers also hide other contributing factors, such as underreporting, “censorship by exclusion”, and legislative restrictions.
In solidarity with other institutions working against censorship, check out the following at our Banned Books display table from October 4-18:
- “Guess the banned book”: 3 jars contain fragments of book art and notable quotes from 3 different historically banned books. Stop by the library to guess the titles of these books and you could win a CIA Library prize!
- View the OIF's statistics behind 2024's book bans and challenges and ways you can fight these challenges at unitedagainstbookbans.org.
- Grab a flyer for two movies screening at the Cinematheque this month: The Librarians and Orwell: 2+2=5, both contemplating the theme of censorship.
- Free stickers and bookmarks!
You can also check out our 2025 Banned Books digital display, with more resources, including the Brooklyn Public Library's Borrowed and Returned podcast episode discussing the often-challenged graphic novel Maus and the power of images.
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