A record number of books were targeted for censorship in 2023, including a 92% increase at public libraries.

The American Library Association (ALA) on Thursday released its annual report, which showed 1,247 efforts to ban 4,240 different books in schools and libraries in 2023, a 65% increase over the 2,572 titles that were targeted in 2022. School libraries saw an 11% increase year over year.

“The reports from librarians and educators in the field make it clear that the organized campaigns to ban books aren’t over, and that we must all stand together to preserve our right to choose what we read,” said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. “Each demand to ban a book is a demand to deny each person’s constitutionally protected right to choose and read books that raise important issues and lift up the voices of those who are often silenced.”

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