The start of another school year means another rise in literary censorship. According to the First Amendment Museum, many schools and other institutions remove books because people challenge stories featuring topics like sexuality, race, and religious beliefs, among others. These types of bans leave important texts out of curriculums and communities. Fortunately, events like Banned Books Week and other organizations are helping fight against book bans. One organization in particular that’s taking action is Little Free Library.
What is Little Free Library?
By now you’ve probably heard of or seen a Little Free Library (LFL) on your travels. They are the cutest outdoor bookshelves placed in local areas. This initiative was started in 2009 in Minnesota by Todd H. Bol. Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that provides access to literacy through neighborhoods across the nation. With their motto of “Take a Book. Share a Book”, everyone has the chance to become lifelong readers at no cost.
How Are They Taking Action?
Little Free Library has joined forces with the American Library Association (ALA) and PEN America, an organization dedicated to free expression, to create a banned books map. The map allows you to see banned book hotspots and the closest Little Free Library in that area. LFL encourages banned book sharing through their program as a way to mitigate these restrictions. ALA and PEN America provided the regional library/school data to make this mission possible.
How The Map Works
With the map, I was able to locate multiple Little Free Libraries in my town. Places with more book bans are shown in a darker shade of purple. It was a user-friendly experience and opened my eyes to which states are perpetuating this issue the most.
Final Thoughts
The future of book banning is uncertain. The number of books targeted for censorship has risen by 92% from 2022 to 2023. Fortunately, individuals and companies, like LFL, are speaking out about these suppressive acts. Not only are they speaking out, but they’ve also taken measurable steps to reverse the effects of such book bans. I think that is cause for celebration.
Want to hear about more book ban wins? Check out this article.
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