University Library @ Rider University Blog

National Library Week: Book Challenges in New Jersey Threaten the Right to Read

Book Challenges in New Jersey Threaten the Right to Read

by Genevieve Innes
 

In school and public libraries in New Jersey and across the country, an epidemic of book challenges threatens intellectual freedom and the ability of readers to see their own lived experience reflected in books. The American Library Association reports a record number of demands–1,269 in total–to censor library books and materials in 2022, and the number is predicted to increase in future years. This represents the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago. Challenges are an attempt to remove or restrict materials from the curriculum or library, based upon the objections of a person or group, thereby restricting the access of others. Banned Books Week, observed October 1-7, 2023 celebrates the right of every reader to access and learn from the rich diversity, experiences and perspectives found in books. 

The most frequently challenged books of 2022 are Gender Queer: a Memoir by Maia Kobabe, Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison, and All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson. All three titles were banned or challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because they were considered sexually explicit. “The unprecedented number of challenges we’re seeing…reflects coordinated, national efforts to silence marginalized or historically underrepresented voices and deprive all of us – young people, in particular – of the chance to explore a world beyond the confines of personal experience,” observes ALA President Lessa Kananiʻopua Pelayo-Lozada. Jessica Trujillo, President of the New Jersey Library Association, observes that “serving all members of our community and providing them with information and materials that are relevant to their needs is a bedrock principle of our profession yet the current iteration of ‘culture wars’ has led to school librarians receiving personal and professional attacks for doing just that.” 

In the state of New Jersey, attempts to ban books include a case in Lower Township, where there was an effort to remove the book Black and White by Paul Volponi from the shelves of Charles Sandman Consolidated School, while in Wayne Township, individuals demanded that the school board ban seven books written about topics related to sexual identity. The New Jersey Association of School Librarians (NJASL) strongly supports the right of children of all ages to read a wide variety of material with differing viewpoints and perspectives and emphasizes that censorship denies free access to information and stifles intellectual freedom. The New Jersey Library Association (NJLA) rejects efforts to censor or remove materials from any library, based on content. In accordance with the American Library Association Library Bill of Rights and Freedom to Read Statement, the organization believes that libraries provide access to books and other library resources and services for the interest, information, education and enlightenment of all people in communities.