April Staff Picks: Challenged Books

"Early this year, stories of book banning flooded the collective conscience. Since then, waves of legislation with highly specific targets have swept through a number of states. Rulings that equate gender-affirming care for trans youth with child abuse in Texas, bills that erase discussions of LGBTQ+ history and identity in schools in Florida, executive orders barring "divisive concepts" from classrooms in Virginia, and more spring up at what seems like a dizzying pace.

At a time when youth librarians are more aware of the positive impacts of representation through literature, these calls for censorship are even more disheartening. The American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom (ALA OIF) hosts Banned Books Week every year in September. However, book challenges are made and legislation is proposed throughout the year. As a preservice school librarian, the ways we care for students and provide information to them that reflects a range of experiences are of particular importance to me. Young learners deserve the freedom to read.

Challenged Books contains a selection of titles from the ALA OIF's Top 10 Challenged Books lists for 2020 and 2019, as well as resources about collection development and book banning found in Educat+. More challenged titles and related resources can be found through both Educat+ and CLIO catalogs. Complete lists of frequent book challenges, as well as information on reporting challenges made to books in schools and libraries, can be found on the ALA OIF website."

-- Rachel Altvater, Library Associate

Where: Second Floor Reading Room

Staff Picks is curated and designed each month by the Gottesman Libraries' staff to highlight resources on educational topics and themes of special interest.

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