{"id":47815,"date":"2026-04-21T12:20:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T19:20:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=47815"},"modified":"2026-04-21T12:20:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T19:20:42","slug":"report-on-state-of-us-libraries-exposes-trump-attacks-and-record-breaking-book-ban-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/04\/21\/report-on-state-of-us-libraries-exposes-trump-attacks-and-record-breaking-book-ban-efforts\/","title":{"rendered":"Report on State of US Libraries Exposes Trump Attacks and Record-Breaking Book Ban Efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"young<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Two young girls lay on the floor of a library reading a book on April 21, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0(Photo by Jessica Mielke\/Cavan Images\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Book bans \u201cwere part of a well-funded, politically driven campaign to suppress the stories and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals and communities,\u201d said an American Library Association leader.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jessica Corbett<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apr 20, 2026 (CommonDreams.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe State of America\u2019s Libraries<\/a>\u201d report \u201cis in a very real way a report on the state of our nation,\u201d American Library Association executive director Dan Montgomery wrote in the introduction of the annual publication, released Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnsurprisingly, then, there is much to be deeply concerned about in these pages, and much to bring hope,\u201d the ALA leader acknowledged. \u201cUltimately, this report can serve as a clarion call to those who love libraries and our republic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Published at the beginning of National Library Week, the report explores a range of topics, including threats to intellectual freedom. ALA\u2019s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) found that last year at least 4,235 unique titles were challenged\u2014the association\u2019s term for an attempt to have a resource removed or restricted\u2014the second-highest ever documented, just short of 2023\u2019s record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OIF also found that at least 5,668 books were banned from libraries\u201466% of those challenged\u2014and 920 books faced restrictions such as relocation or a parental permission requirement. The ALA noted that \u201cthis is both the highest number of titles censored in one year and the highest rate of challenges resulting in censorship<\/a>\u201d dating back to 1990.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn 2025, book bans were not sparked by concerned parents, and they were not the result of local grassroots efforts,\u201d explained Sarah Lamdan, executive director of the OIF, in a statement. \u201cThey were part of a well-funded, politically driven campaign to suppress the stories and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals and communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specifically, OIF found that 92% of all book censorship efforts were initiated by \u201cpressure groups, government officials, and decision-makers,\u201d and fewer than 3% came from individual parents. Additionally, 40% of the unique titles challenged last year\u20141,671 works\u2014were about the experiences of LGBTQIA+ people and people of color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLibraries exist to make space for every story and every lived experience,\u201d stressed ALA president Sam Helmick. \u201cAs we celebrate National Library Week, we reaffirm that libraries are places for knowledge, for access, and for all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most-targeted titles<\/a> in 2025 were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Sold<\/em> by Patricia McCormick<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower<\/em> by Stephen Chbosky<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Gender Queer: A Memoir<\/em> by Maia Kobabe<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Empire of Storms<\/em> by Sarah J. Maas<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. (tie) Last Night at the Telegraph Club<\/em> by Malinda Lo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. (tie) Tricks<\/em> by Ellen Hopkins<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. A Court of Thorns and Roses<\/em> by Sarah J. Maas<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. (tie) A Clockwork Orange<\/em> by Anthony Burgess<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. (tie) Identical<\/em> by Ellen Hopkins<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. (tie) Looking for Alaska<\/em> by John Green<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. (tie) Storm and Fury<\/em> by Jennifer L. Armentrout<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ALA publication also features sections on library services for people who are incarcerated or in reentry, how libraries can \u201capproach literacy in a community-driven, responsive way to meet today\u2019s rapidly evolving and growing literacy needs,\u201d and \u201cintensified debates over access to information and shifting fiscal priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report highlights ALA\u2019s Show Up For Our Libraries campaign, launched in the face of attacks from Republican President Donald Trump\u2014who has issued executive orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to effectively dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services. He also fired the librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, and the register of copyrights, Shira Perlmutter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/embed.bsky.app\/embed\/did:plc:q5qyswhppr7tiskw43xhcv7f\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3mjwjlgewsz2y?id=3764656285411655&ref_url=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.commondreams.org%252Fnews%252Fbanned-books-2025&colorMode=system<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the report sounds the alarm on the state of US libraries\u2014and the nation more broadly\u2014it also emphasizes, as Lamdan wrote in one section, that \u201cthe story of library censorship in 2025 is… not only about the challenges libraries faced, but also about the resilience of the people who stood up for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLegal victories and new state-level protections emerged in several regions, reinforcing longstanding principles of intellectual freedom and reaffirming libraries\u2019 role as institutions that serve all members of their communities,\u201d she noted. \u201cCoalitions of library workers<\/a>, authors, educators, and community members successfully advocated for right to read laws in Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island that protect intellectual freedom, libraries, and library workers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCourts across the nation held that censorship legislation was unconstitutional,\u201d Lamdan continued. \u201cJudges declared that laws including Florida\u2019s HB 1069 and Iowa\u2019s SF 496, which provide for the removal of books containing certain viewpoints, were unconstitutionally vague and overbroad. Courts also affirmed the First Amendment<\/a> right to read in libraries. Voters in states including Ohio, Pennsylvania<\/a>, and Texas<\/a> rejected censorship-focused school and library board candidates, electing board members who promised to protect people\u2019s right to read and learn.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She added that \u201c2025 was also a year of coalition-building. Grassroots activists, advocacy organizations, writers, authors, publishers, teachers, parents, and library workers came together to celebrate libraries and the joy of reading.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report was released less than three months ahead of the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we look toward the next 250 years, the choice is ours,\u201d said Helmick. \u201cWe can let our libraries fade, viewed as charming relics of a bygone era. Or, we can choose to invest in them as a bedrock of our future. Let us decide, right now, that they are not optional. They are the very breath of a free society, and they are worth fighting for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jessica Corbett<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jessica Corbett is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full Bio ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two young girls lay on the floor of a library reading a book on April 21, 2023. \u00a0(Photo by Jessica Mielke\/Cavan Images\/Getty Images) Book bans \u201cwere part of a well-funded, politically driven campaign to suppress the stories and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals and communities,\u201d said an American… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47815"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47815"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47815\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47816,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47815\/revisions\/47816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}