“Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights.”
Established in 1982, Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community in shared support of the freedom to read. Banned Books Week is October 5 – 11, 2025.
It's not too late. Visit our Banned Books Week display.
Learn more about banned and challenged books by exploring Archer Library's Banned Books Week display located on the main floor. Help yourself to a Banned Books Week sticker, bookmark, information sheet, puzzle, or coloring page.
Explore Archer Library's Banned Books Week library guide. Learn more about the differences between banned vs challenged books, resources available in library collections, Banned Book Week infographics, and additional details about the Top 10 Challenged Books in 2024. New titles are not the only ones being challenged, view the section on Challenged Classics for information on previously banned titles such as Of Mice and Men, The Call of the Wild, and Beloved.
"Censorship Is So 1984 -- Read for Your Rights! With the escalation in attempts to ban books in libraries, schools, and bookstores around the country, George Orwell’s cautionary tale 1984 serves a prescient warning about the dangers of censorship. This year’s Banned Books Week theme reminds us that the right to read belongs to all of us, that censorship has no place in contemporary society, and that we must defend our rights" (ALA, Banned Books Week 2025)
Top 10 Challenged Books of 2024
"Since 2021, ALA has tracked a sharp spike in censorship attempts in libraries. In 2024, ALA recorded the third highest number of book challenges since tracking began in 1990: ALA documented 821 attempts to censor library books and other materials in 2024 across all library types, a decrease from 2023, when a record high 1,247 attempts were reported. ALA recorded attempts to remove 2,452 unique titles in 2024, which significantly exceeds the average of 273 unique titles that were challenged annually during 2001–2020." (ALA, Top 10 Most Challenged Books).
The ten most challenged titles, along with reasons cited for censoring the books, are featured in this video. Click here to view the video on the IRC's Kaltura site.
