There are more and more attempts to ban and restrict access to books in American school and public libraries, in 2022 their number was a record.
This is stated in the new report of the American Library Association (ALA).
The association counted more than 1,200 such cases last year, nearly double the previous record set in 2021 and well over 20 years ago when the association started keeping these statistics.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said the head of the ABA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom. “The past two years have been grueling, scary, revolting.”
The report notes not only an increasing number of bans and restrictions, but also a change in their nature.
A few years ago, complaints usually came from parents or other members of the community and were about a particular book.
Requests now often span multiple books and come from national organizations such as the conservative Moms for Liberty, which aims to “unite, educate and empower parents at all levels of government to protect their parental rights”.
More than 2,500 books were reported last year, compared to 1,858 in 2021 and just 566 in 2019. In many cases, a complaint contained a request to ban or restrict access to hundreds of books.
The ABA bases its findings on media reports and voluntary reports from libraries. The Association admits that the actual numbers could be much higher.
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