{"id":2436,"date":"2026-10-04T10:00:26","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T18:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/?p=2436"},"modified":"2026-10-03T13:17:50","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T21:17:50","slug":"banned-books-week-2026-let-books-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/2026\/10\/04\/banned-books-week-2026-let-books-be\/","title":{"rendered":"Banned Books Week 2026: LET BOOKS BE"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Banned Books Week<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is an annual event that runs from <\/span><b>October 4\u201310<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. This year\u2019s theme, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cLET BOOKS BE,\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> highlights the increasing challenges and bans faced by books across the U.S. The event serves as a reminder of the ongoing need to actively protect our freedom to read and access diverse perspectives.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/files\/2026\/10\/BBWC-2026-HyesuLee-BSKY.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2439 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/files\/2026\/10\/BBWC-2026-HyesuLee-BSKY-1024x342.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"625\" height=\"209\" srcset=\"https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/files\/2026\/10\/BBWC-2026-HyesuLee-BSKY-1024x342.png 1024w, https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/files\/2026\/10\/BBWC-2026-HyesuLee-BSKY-300x100.png 300w, https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/files\/2026\/10\/BBWC-2026-HyesuLee-BSKY-768x256.png 768w, https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/files\/2026\/10\/BBWC-2026-HyesuLee-BSKY-1536x512.png 1536w, https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/files\/2026\/10\/BBWC-2026-HyesuLee-BSKY-624x208.png 624w, https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/files\/2026\/10\/BBWC-2026-HyesuLee-BSKY.png 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><b>What is a Challenge vs. a Ban?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ala.org\/bbooks\/banned-books-qa\"><b>American Library Association (ALA)<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>A challenge<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is an attempt to remove or restrict access to a book or resource.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>A ban<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> occurs when this attempt is successful &#8211; the book is removed from shelves, restricted, or made unavailable.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>The Numbers Behind Banned Books Week<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There were 4,235 unique titles challenged in 2025, the second highest ever documented by ALA.. Most bans took place in school and public libraries, with books relating to race, gender identity, and sexuality being frequent targets.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since 1990, the ALA has tracked the censorship of books across the country. The statistics have been trending higher for decades, and they remind us of the critical importance of protecting access to all ideas!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">More information and data can be found <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ala.org\/bbooks\/censorship-numbers\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">here<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h3><b>Let Freedom Read Day (October 10)<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here are some ways you can participate in Banned Books Week and show your support for the freedom to read:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Check out a banned or challenged book <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8211; whether it&#8217;s Orwell&#8217;s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1984<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or one of the top <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ala.org\/bbooks\/frequentlychallengedbooks\/top10\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">11 most challenged books of the year<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, it&#8217;s a great way to engage with the issue.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Start a conversation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Discuss with friends, in class, or on social media why certain books have been challenged and why access to them matters.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Support the right to read<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Learn more about how censorship happens and how you can actively respond. Your voice matters in defending intellectual freedom.<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Don\u2019t know how to get started? Visit <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bannedbooksweek.org\/let-freedom-read-day\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">bannedbooksweek.org<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for different action steps you can take!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/files\/2026\/10\/260317-oif-bbw26-TOPTEN-wCOVERS-5-horizontal.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2440 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/files\/2026\/10\/260317-oif-bbw26-TOPTEN-wCOVERS-5-horizontal-1024x538.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"625\" height=\"328\" srcset=\"https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/files\/2026\/10\/260317-oif-bbw26-TOPTEN-wCOVERS-5-horizontal-1024x538.png 1024w, https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/files\/2026\/10\/260317-oif-bbw26-TOPTEN-wCOVERS-5-horizontal-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/files\/2026\/10\/260317-oif-bbw26-TOPTEN-wCOVERS-5-horizontal-768x403.png 768w, https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/files\/2026\/10\/260317-oif-bbw26-TOPTEN-wCOVERS-5-horizontal-624x328.png 624w, https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/files\/2026\/10\/260317-oif-bbw26-TOPTEN-wCOVERS-5-horizontal.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><b>Why It Matters<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Books give us the chance to see the world from different perspectives and to explore ideas that might challenge our thinking. When books are banned, we limit the opportunity for understanding, empathy, and growth. Banned Books Week is an important reminder to stand up for free expression!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Banned Books Week is an annual event that runs from October 4\u201310. This year\u2019s theme, \u201cLET BOOKS BE,\u201d highlights the increasing challenges and bans faced by books across the U.S. The event serves as a reminder of the ongoing need to actively protect our freedom to read and access diverse perspectives. What is a Challenge [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":428,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/428"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2436"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2441,"href":"https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2436\/revisions\/2441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consortiumlibrary.org\/blogs\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}