Censorship by the Numbers
ALA compiles data on book challenges from confidential reports filed with its Office for Intellectual Freedom by library professionals in the field and from news stories published throughout the United States. Because many book challenges are not reported to the ALA or covered by the press, the 2024 data compiled by ALA represents only a snapshot of book censorship throughout the year.
Censorship by the Numbers
The American Library Association documented another year in an unabating deluge of efforts to censor library materials in 2024, continuing an extremist campaign to suppress access to books that began in 2021. Last year, 2,452 unique titles were challenged, the third highest number ever documented by ALA and significantly exceeding the annual average of 273 unique titles over the period from 2001–2020.
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Books and Beyond
Books are not the sole target of attacks orchestrated by pressure groups and government officials. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 821 censorship attempts in 2024. Here’s the breakdown:
Who challenges books?
Prior to 2020, the vast majority of challenges to library books and resources were brought by a single parent who sought to remove or restrict access to a book their child was reading. Recent censorship data are evidence of a well-organized movement, the goals of which include removing books about race, history, gender identity, sexuality, and reproductive health from America's public and school libraries.
Nearly 72% of censorship attempts in 2024 were initiated by pressure groups and decision makers who have been swayed by them.
The majority of library censorship can be tied to organized campaigns. Pressure groups and the administrators, board members, and elected officials they influenced targeted 4,190 total titles in 2024. From 2001–2020, this constituency attempted to remove an average of 46 titles per year.
Where do challenges take place?
Multi-title challenges at schools remained alarmingly expansive in 2024. The trend of attempting to censor materials and services available to entire communities through their public library continued.
