Book bans are nothing new. Individuals, organizations, and governments have banned books for a variety of reasons. Librarians, educators, and activists have stood against book bans for just as long.
Understanding both sides of book banning is important in order to fully engage in the conversation. Whether that conversation is happening in your classroom, at the dinner table, or at a rally, being able to engage productively with differing points of view is part of civil society.
The following Guide is meant to help you find, assess, and use resources about book bans. In particular, it will provide resources for both perspectives: for and against banning books.
A great place to start is the Big Red Box. The Big Red Box will allow you to search a variety of library resources, including scholarly articles, trade publications, and newspapers.
You can use the link below to begin searching the Big Red Box, or take a look at the search examples on this guide to explore how and what resources you might find on the topic of banned books.
You can also search individual publications or organizational websites. Publications that are right- or left-leaning will allow you to read both sides of the argument around book bans.
The list of resources below is is intentionally small in order to provide list of publications and organizational websites that the librarians find reliable. The list does not include social media, blogs, or extremist organizations for either side of the book banning argument.
Create an account on NYTimes.com using Lavery Library's academic subscription, and you can access all content on their site.
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