As you walked into Samuel C. Williams library, you may have noticed colorful art decorating the whiteboard or a spinner full of popular and new books. These additions celebrate National Library Week which is observed from April 6 to 12. In conjunction with the week, the American Library Association (ALA) published data about banned books from 2024. The data serves as a documentation of book challenges and advocates to end censorship within libraries.
During 2024, between January 1 and August 31, the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 821 attempts to censor library materials and service, and 2,452 unique titles were challenged. Moreover, the majority of book censorship attempts came from organized movements. 72% of book censorship attempts in school and public libraries came from pressure groups and government entities including elected officials, board members, and administrators; 16% of attempts came from parents, and 12% came from other sources, including individual library users, teachers, librarians, and staff.
Last year, ALA tracked 1,247 attempts with 4,240 unique titles challenged. While the number of book ban attempts appeared to decrease, ALA cites underreporting, censorship by exclusion, and legislative restrictions as potential factors for lower numbers. ALA notes that several laws restricted certain material in schools and libraries based on the ideas and topics discussed within them. Because of these laws, many books exploring LGBTQ+ characters or themes, race or racism, and characters of color were removed from school districts because they included “sexual content” or controversial themes.
Within New Jersey, 47 library systems, including the Hoboken Library, and four municipalities are book sanctuaries, meaning that access to books and the right to read them are at the forefront of their mission. A book sanctuary commits to doing at least one of the following: protecting banned books, making those books accessible, hosting events about banned books, and educating others about their history and burning. In 2023, the City of Hoboken became the first book sanctuary city in New Jersey.
The Hoboken Library has three branches with the nearest, at 500 Park Avenue, only a five-minute walk from campus. Having a library card is a gateway to learning a wide array of subjects, including banned books. If you don’t live in Hoboken, you can still get a card. For applicants who go to school in Hoboken, a Photo ID with a current home address and a Letter from Bursar or The Office of Student Life displaying your enrollment and rooming assignment are required.
Obtaining a Hoboken library card means obtaining access to borrow a variety of books, including some of the most challenged books. Each year, on the Right to Read Day, ALA releases a list of the top 10 most challenged books. Many of these books can be found within the Hoboken library’s shelves. One example is All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson, a Black journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist, a series of personal essays where Johnson explores his childhood and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. It was claimed to be sexually explicit and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content. Another book, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl revolves around Greg, a teenager, a part of every social group without any friends. However, his life changes when his mother forces him to befriend Rachel, a girl with leukemia whom he once knew in Hebrew school. It was challenged for profanity and claimed to be sexually explicit.
On a state-wide level, on December 9, 2024, Governor Murphy signed the Freedom to Read Act which prevents arbitrary book banning and protects the rights of communities to have free access to age-appropriate books and learning materials at schools and public libraries. “Across the nation, we have seen attempts to suppress and censor the stories and experiences of others,” Murphy states. “I’m proud to amplify the voices of our past and present, as there is no better way for our children to prepare for the future than to read freely.”
Books that contain diverse representation and tackle difficult real-world issues are being banned at significant rates. By banning these books, we ban access to better understanding the world around us. Everyone, especially children, deserves the freedom to read and the freedom to learn about the unique world around them.
