The Syracuse University Libraries is celebrating Banned Books Week for 2023!
The Libraries’ 2023 celebration of Banned Books Week features blog and display content developed by graduate students from the Syracuse University iSchool. Many thanks to Payton Cooke, Alex Shoshani, and Ariel Summers for their contributions.
Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read! Every year, hundreds of books are challenged to be banned from libraries and schools throughout the world. These challenges aim to restrict or even completely remove access to certain books.
Typically held during late September/early October, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community—librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types—in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.
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. The American Library Association (ALA)'s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles lists of challenged books as reported in the media and submitted by librarians and teachers across the country.
Included is the list of the 10 Most Challenged Books for 2022.