KINGSTON, R.I. – March 12, 2025 – The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom documented nearly 1,250 demands to censor library books, materials and resources in 2023, targeting about 4,250 unique book titles for censorship.

It was a rise of 65% in challenges of unique titles compared to the previous year. Nearly half of those challenged works shared the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals, according to the association. Librarians in the field – at public, school or academic libraries – are at the center of the fight to prevent censorship.

Emily Drabinski, past president of the American Library Association, will discuss the importance of librarians in the battle to protect freedom of speech and ideas on Wednesday, March 19, at 4 p.m. in Carothers Library’s Galanti Lounge. Her talk, “Libraries at the End of the World,” is part of the yearlong “Sustaining Democracy” series presented by the University of Rhode Island’s Center for the Humanities. The lecture is free and open to the public, and also available on livestream. 

“A healthy democracy depends on the free flow of ideas,” said Evelyn Sterne, director of the Center for the Humanities. “Drabinski’s talk will discuss how censorship threatens that exchange of information and how libraries stand at the center of the battle as they respond to these threats.”

American Library Association data for 2023 found that the challenges to unique book titles documented by the association reached a record level, with pressure groups focusing on public libraries and school libraries. In 17 states, attempts at censorship targeted more than 100 titles.

While ALA data declined in 2024, the number of attempts to censor books documented by the association far exceeded the numbers of challenges prior to 2020. And instances of “soft censorship” – such as where books are purchased by libraries but kept off limits to the public due to challenges – Illustrate the effects organized censorship campaigns have on people’s freedom to read, according to the ALA website.

“As immediate past president of the American Library Association, Drabinski is a leader in the field, very much up to date on current challenges, and uniquely qualified to comment on these matters,” said Sterne. “Her talk should be of wide interest not only to professional librarians – on and off campus – but to anyone interested in protecting democracy and the free flow of ideas at this critical juncture in our nation’s history.” 

Drabinski, associate professor at the Queens College Graduate School of Library and Information Studies at the City University of New York, received her master’s degree in library and information science from Syracuse University and her bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia University. She edits the book series Gender and Sexuality in Information Studies.