The American Library Association (ALA) is reporting a record number of attempts to ban books in Ohio and across the country again this year.
Unlike past years, public libraries saw almost half of the book challenges. The number of books targeted for removal at public libraries increased by 92% in 2023 compared to 2022.
Across the nation, school libraries saw an 11% increase in challenges.
The ALA documented 40 attempts to remove 235 books from public and school libraries in Ohio last year. That’s about 150 more titles and six more challenges than 2022.
In 2021, just 15 titles were challenged in 10 attempts. The number of individual books and the attempts to remove them had been relatively low since 2018.
Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and the Executive Director of the Freedom to Read Foundation, said in recent years dozens or hundreds of books are being challenged at once, often by political advocacy groups.
Caldwell-Stone said the uptick in challenges began around the time schools reopened in 2021.
“Many organizations that had been part of the complaints about masking and lack of in-person education also began complaining about books in libraries,” Caldwell-Stone said, adding that trying to remove certain books has become a “political wedge-issue.”
The books most often targeted focus on LGBTQ issues or characters, or race and racism, she said.
In 2023, the Columbus Metropolitan Library saw challenges to four books, all in the children’s section.
“Why? A Conversation About Race,” “Tell Me About Sex, Grandma,” and “The Every Body Book: The LGBTQ Guide for Kids About Sex, Gender, Bodies, and Families,” are all still on the same shelves after the challenge, according to library spokesman Ben Zenitsky. The fourth book, “We Need to Talk About Vaginas” by Allison K. Rodgers, was moved to the teen section, but not removed from the library.
Nationally, ALA documented 938 attempts to remove a total of 9,021 books from libraries. People sought to remove more than 4,200 unique book titles, more than the previous two years combined, according to the ALA.
ALA noted that its data only represents book challenges reported to its Office of Intellectual Freedom or covered by the media, so numbers could be higher.
In 2023, Florida saw the largest attempts to ban books. Groups or individuals tried to remove 2,672 books in 33 challenges. In Texas, 1,470 books were targeted in 49 attempts to remove materials.
Ohio is among 17 states with challenges to 100 or more titles.
The ALA documented no book challenges in Delaware or Vermont.
While many attempts to remove books seem to have political ties, Caldwell-Stone said they happen in just about every state and for a variety of reasons.
“Library politics are intensely local. So, we can see challenges crop up in what you might term a blue state as well as a red state,” Caldwell-Stone said.
Cladwell-Stone said she’s glad that most library boards understand the importance of protecting everyone’s freedom to read and choose from a wide range of ideas at the library.
ALA will release its list of the top 10 most challenged books on April 8 for “Right to Read Day.”
