![]() ![]() “The book bans we see across the country are attempts to silence our individuality, erase our history, and stifle our freedom to be wholly, expansively ourselves,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. ![]() A record number of books were challenged in 2021, including classics like Toni Morrison’s "Bluest Eye," as well as books with LGBTQ characters or themes. The program was developed in response to an alarming rise in book bans in schools and public libraries. Since launching in April 2022, more than 6000 teens have applied for the card from all 50 states. Johnson, President and CEO of Brooklyn Public Library.īooks Unbanned allows young adults ages 13 to 21, nationwide, to apply for a free eCard from BPL, unlocking access to the library’s extensive collection of half a million eBooks and audiobooks. We are proud and fortunate to call them colleagues,” said Linda E. They continue to provide a lifeline to teens across the country who are too often caught in the battle over censorship each member of the team exemplifies the finest tradition of their profession. “The alarming rise in censorship over the last year was no match for the members of our Books Unbanned team who remain indefatigably committed to supporting the principles of intellectual freedom. The award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in the library profession, was given to Librarians Nick Higgins, Leigh Hurwitz, Karen Keys and Amy Mikel, and YA Internship Coordinator, Jackson Gomes. ![]() The Books Unbanned team was recognized for their fight for the principles of intellectual freedom against an alarming rise in censorship. Of the 1,648 books banned last school year, 41% "explicitly address LGBTQ+ themes or have protagonists or prominent secondary characters who are LGBTQ+" and 40% "contain protagonists or prominent secondary characters of color," according to PEN America's latest report.The Library Journal has recognized a team from the Brooklyn Library as their Librarians of the Year today. The ALA notes that, in 2021, "most targeted books were by or about Black or LGBTQ+ persons." Most of the books being banned are written for teens, and the biggest reasons are sexual content, profanity, violence, racism and LGBTQ+ content, per the ALA.īook challenges have been criticized for focusing on Black or LGBTQ+ authors. The ALA's Banned Books website includes lists of frequently challenged books as well as the 10 most challenged books of 2021 and past years. The vast majority were "initiated by school administrators or board members … sometimes in response to comments from community members at board meetings." Which books are being removed? However, PEN America also notes that only 4% of book bans in 2021 resulted from official challenges. In January 2022, The New York Times reported that "parents, activists, school board officials and lawmakers around the country are challenging books at a pace not seen in decades." The PEN America study found that a total of 1,648 individual book titles were removed from school libraries in 32 states during the last school year. If the committee or ruling group decides to remove the book from school libraries, the book is considered "banned" by the school district. ![]() School districts usually have committees of librarians or other school officials who will review book challenges. According to the magazine, the library has issued almost 6,000 library cards to teens in every US state, Washington DC and Puerto Rico.Īll Boys Aren't Blue is one of ALA's top 10 most challenged books. In January 2023, Library Journal named five librarians from the Brooklyn Public Library - Amy Mikel, Jackson Gomes, Karen Keys, Nick Higgins and Leigh Hurwitz - as its Librarians of the Year. The Brooklyn Public Library has launched Books Unbanned, a website that allows anyone 13 to 21 years old to apply for a free library card that will let them download ebooks from its collection. One local library (a very big one) is taking steps to make sure that all teenagers across the US have access to books that may have been removed from their school or local libraries. A survey conducted in March 2022 found that the vast majority of voters oppose efforts to remove books from school and public libraries. The most common objections in book challenges are for sexual content, profanity and content "unsuited to any age group," per the ALA. The unprecedented increase in attempts to remove books from school libraries has often been led by individuals and groups who object to books dealing with racism, gender identity or sexual orientation. From January to August 2022, the American Library Association recorded 681 attempts to remove 1,651 unique books - the most since the organization started tracking these challenges, according to Library Journal. Book challenges that remove titles from school and public libraries continue to attract attention across the US. ![]()
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