Threats

Last January I published some observations and statistics covering the rise in censorship and book bans in recent years.  At the time I figured I'd revisit the subject following sufficient passage of time.

According to the American Library Association 2023 delivered 4,240 books targeted for removal from libraries.  A new record high.  This is up from 2,571 titles in 2022.  It is likely these figures are understated as not every library, local school, college or university is scrutinized.

Nevertheless, now that last year's numbers are in, challenges targeting public libraries were up 92 percent in 2023 and challenges to school libraries were up 11 percent.  

The culture war has grown from a smoldering insurrection to all-out total war.

How do I know this?  The challenges are coming from well-funded and better organized groups with national reputations.  Well-funded and better organized groups with national reputations is nothing new.  The civil rights movement is evidence of that.  

However, in their quest for limiting your and my intellectual freedom and taking control away from local communities and school boards these groups have chosen to single-out individual librarians for harassment with threats of legal action, job loss or even arrest. 

I am mindful of similar attacks targeting local election officials and poll workers with threats of violence over the last four years.  All of these people are good and decent folks.  They are our friends and neighbors and live amongst us.  Violence is not right.

Has civil society lost its collective mind?