Libraries

The Bibles are on display during the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday, June 14, 2022.
The Bibles are on display during the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday, June 14, 2022.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Reading & Literacy Why the Bible Is Getting Pulled Off School Bookshelves
In an ironic twist, the Bible showed up in mass book removal efforts in at least three districts.
Eesha Pendharkar, December 15, 2022
•
5 min read
Image of books in a cell.
erhui1979/DigitalVision Vectors
Equity & Diversity No Parent Objected to These Books. The School District Kept Them Off the Shelf, Anyway
Anti-book ban advocates fear the Florida district's decision to table almost 200 books signals more mass book bans to come.
Eesha Pendharkar, December 9, 2022
•
4 min read
Banned books are visible at the Central Library, a branch of the Brooklyn Public Library system, in New York City on Thursday, July 7, 2022. The books are banned in several public schools and libraries in the U.S., but young people can read digital versions from anywhere through the library. The Brooklyn Public Library offers free membership to anyone in the U.S. aged 13 to 21 who wants to check out and read books digitally in response to the nationwide wave of book censorship and restrictions.
Banned books are on diplay at the Central Library, a branch of the Brooklyn Public Library system, in New York City on Thursday, July 7, 2022. Some of these books are among those banned by school districts in Texas.
Ted Shaffrey/AP
School & District Management ACLU Texas Files OCR Complaint Over a District's Anti-Trans Book Ban
The group claims the Keller school district's new policy to remove books about gender fluidity from library shelves violates federal law.
Eesha Pendharkar, November 30, 2022
•
4 min read
Banned books are visible at the Central Library, a branch of the Brooklyn Public Library system, in New York City on Thursday, July 7, 2022. The books are banned in several public schools and libraries in the U.S., but young people can read digital versions from anywhere through the library. The Brooklyn Public Library offers free membership to anyone in the U.S. aged 13 to 21 who wants to check out and read books digitally in response to the nationwide wave of book censorship and restrictions.
Several titles in this display of books in at the Central Library in New York city are on Missouri's banned books list. The N.Y. library allows young people anywhere to read digital versions of the books.
Ted Shaffrey/AP
Curriculum Nearly 300 Books Removed From Schools Under Missouri's 'Sexually Explicit Materials' Law
Missouri's efforts to remove books from public schools—either temporarily or permanently—go farther than most.
Eesha Pendharkar, November 18, 2022
•
5 min read
101422 mindy lily freeman photo 02 BS
Lily Freeman and her mother, Mindy Freeman, have actively campaigned against efforts to restrict LGBQT books in the Central Bucks school district and elsewhere.
Courtesy of Mindy Freeman
Equity & Diversity Why a Trans Student and Her Mom Are Fighting Their District's Anti-LGBTQ Policies
Lily Freeman and her mother, Mindy Freeman, are working to stem a slew of anti-LGBTQ policies and directives issued in Central Bucks County, Pa.
Eesha Pendharkar, October 14, 2022
•
6 min read
Ashley Hope Pérez, author of "Out of Darkness," the third most banned book in the country.
Ashley Hope Pérez, author of <i>Out of Darkness,</i> the third most banned book in the country.
Photo courtesy of Ashley Hope Pérez
Reading & Literacy Q&A Banned-Book Author: If a Book Isn't in the School Library, 'It Might as Well Not Exist'
Ashley Hope Pérez, an author and a former high school English teacher, explains her concerns with the current wave of school book bans.
Eesha Pendharkar, September 27, 2022
•
7 min read
Amanda Jones, a librarian in Livingston Parish, La., pictured on Sept. 13, 2022. Jones is suing members of a Facebook group who harassed her virtually after she spoke against censorship in a public library meeting. Jones received angry emails and even a death threat from people across the country after she filed the lawsuit.
Amanda Jones, a librarian in Livingston Parish, La., is suing members of a Facebook group who harassed her virtually after she spoke against censorship in a public library meeting.
Claire Bangser for Education Week
Law & Courts A School Librarian Pushes Back on Censorship and Gets Death Threats and Online Harassment
Amanda Jones lost her legal battle against online harassers this week but vows to continue to press her case.
Eesha Pendharkar, September 22, 2022
•
7 min read
Distressed photograph of an empty card catalogue cabinet
Arkadiusz Warguła/iStock/Getty
Education Funding Opinion Book Bans? My School Doesn’t Even Have a Library
Underfunding schools is its own censorship, writes one Philadelphia public school teacher. After all, they can’t ban books we don’t have.
Lydia Kulina-Washburn, July 26, 2022
•
4 min read
Amanda Darrow, director of youth, family and education programs at the Utah Pride Center, poses with books that have been the subject of complaints from parents in recent weeks on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021, in Salt Lake City.
Amanda Darrow, director of youth, family and education programs at the Utah Pride Center in Salt Lake City, shows books that have been the subject of complaints from parents this school year.
Rick Bowmer/AP Photo
Curriculum How Social Media Is Shaping Book Ban Debates
Social media utilized to fight against censorship or help those trying to remove books from school libraries.
Alyson Klein, March 14, 2022
•
3 min read
Visiting educators tour Hope House in 2016, the shelter and foster home for homeless students that Tiffany Anderson opened as superintendent of the Jennings School District in Missouri. Anderson, now the superintendent of Topeka Public Schools in Kansas, said that educators from around the country reached out about her work in Jennings after she was profiled as a Leader to Learn From in 2015.
Visiting educators tour a shelter and foster home for homeless students that Tiffany Anderson opened while superintendent of the Jennings district in Missouri. Anderson, now the superintendent in Topeka, Kan., said that educators from around the country wanted to learn about her work after she was profiled as a Leader To Learn From in 2015.
Courtesy of Tiffany Anderson
Professional Development 'Ambassadors of Hope': Why Past Leaders Lean on Their Fellow Honorees
Former Leaders To Learn From say they've relied on their fellow honorees for inspiration, support, and new insights during the pandemic.
Sarah Schwartz, February 16, 2022
•
7 min read
Melissa Jacobs, the director of library services for the New York City school system, takes a breather at the Murry Bergtraum High School Campus Library.
Melissa Jacobs, the director of library services for the New York City school district, at the Murry Bergtraum High School Campus Library.
Michael Kirby Smith for Education Week
School & District Management Leader To Learn From Reinventing the School Librarian's Role: How a NYC Library Director Adapted to Change
When schools moved online at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, librarians had to learn quickly new ways to support teachers and students.
Sarah D. Sparks, February 16, 2022
•
7 min read
People protest outside the offices of the New Mexico Public Education Department's office on Nov. 12, 2021, in Albuquerque. The education department proposed changes to the social studies curriculum that critics describe as a veiled attempt to teach critical race theory. Supporters say the new curriculum, which includes ethnic studies, is "anti-racist."
People protest outside the offices of the New Mexico Public Education Department's office last November in Albuquerque. The education department proposed changes to the social studies curriculum that critics describe as a veiled attempt to teach critical race theory. Supporters say the new curriculum, which includes ethnic studies, is "anti-racist."
Cedar Attanasio/AP
States Here's the Long List of Topics Republicans Want Banned From the Classroom
There are now 61 censorship bills proposed in 24 states. One legislator wants teachers to pay $10,000 for teaching "critical race theory."
Sarah Schwartz & Eesha Pendharkar, February 2, 2022
•
12 min read
Amanda Darrow, director of youth, family and education programs at the Utah Pride Center, poses with books that have been the subject of complaints from parents in recent weeks on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021, in Salt Lake City.
Amanda Darrow, director of youth, family and education programs at the Utah Pride Center, poses with books that have been the subject of complaints from parents.
Rick Bowmer/AP Photo
Curriculum Librarians Fight Back Against Efforts to Ban Books in Schools
Book defenders have employed a variety of strategies, including petition drives, protests, and direct pressure on school board members.
David Montgomery, Stateline.org, January 18, 2022
•
8 min read
Image of library shelves of books.
mikdam/iStock/Getty
School & District Management Q&A School Libraries and Controversial Books: Tips From the Front Lines
A top school librarian explains how districts can prepare for possible challenges to student reading materials and build trust with parents.
Evie Blad, November 19, 2021
•
6 min read
Load More ▼

Reprints, Photocopies and Licensing of Content

All content on Education Week's websites is protected by copyright. No part of this publication shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic or otherwise, without the written permission of the copyright holder. Readers may make up to 5 print copies of this publication at no cost for personal, non-commercial use, provided that each includes a full citation of the source. For additional print copies, or for permission for other uses of the content, visit www.edweek.org/help/reprints-photocopies-and-licensing-of-content or email reprints@educationweek.org and include information on how you would like to use the content. Want to seamlessly share more EdWeek content with your colleagues? Contact us today at pages.edweek.org/ew-for-districts-learn-more.html to learn about how group online subscriptions can complement professional learning in your district or organization.

Copyright © 2025 by Editorial Projects in Education, Inc. All rights reserved.