500 Banned Books Week Read-Ins Protest Censorship
In 2024, 2,452 unique books were challenged, the third highest number ever documented by the American Library Association. Libro.fm supports the freedom to read, and the booksellers, librarians, educators, authors, and publishers that make doing so possible—so why not bring them together to help combat censorship?
For Banned Books Week this year, we worked with Silent Book Club to organize Read-Ins across the U.S., reaching out to independent bookshops and public libraries to host an event, and providing them with resources—including a free audiobook for attendees! We coordinated with Authors Against Book Bans, the American Library Association, and the American Booksellers Association to help spread the word.
And even with all of this outreach, we never could have anticipated that almost 500 locations would sign up to join!
Attendees participated in silent reading, learned more about book bans, and participated in activities to help protest bans—like postcard writing, petition making, and more.
Thanks to all the booksellers, librarians and library workers, and readers who showed up to fight censorship—book bans are loud, but our voices (and our reading) are louder!
While Banned Books Week is over, there’s plenty we all can do to keep fighting bans!
Learn about bills being passed and contact your legislators.
By seeing what bills at a local, state, and national level are impacting book bans, we can better take action. We can also show support for the freedom to read by contacting our political reps in Congress and Senate.
Get involved at your local school.
Show up to school board meetings, library board meetings, and consider running for a role.
How is Libro.fm fighting bans?
We work closely with organizers to fight legal challenges, raise awareness, and activate our community. This year, we raised over $55,000 for public libraries during National Library Week and helped organize almost 500 Banned Books Week Read-Ins with Silent Book Club, libraries, and indie bookshops.
