For centuries, books have been challenged or banned because of their content or ideas. These ongoing actions raise concerns about access to information and intellectual freedom for both learners and educators. While book bans and challenges impact K-12 schools, they can also affect higher education. During Banned Books Week, ASU Library invites you to exercise your freedom to read and discover opportunities for learning and inquiry.
“Access to literature can influence people’s lives, change minds and sway outlooks on different subjects,” said Sierra Schuman, assistant librarian with the E-Learning and Instruction team. “To combat book banning, action can look like reading a book and discovering what prompted the challenges initially, and understanding why there are still challenges in the present day.”
This year, Banned Books Week takes place Oct. 5 to 11, and a variety of events, resources and online games are available for the ASU community to understand why it’s important to read for your rights and celebrate your freedom to read.
Start with the Banned Books Library Guide
The Banned Books Week library guide is the place to explore this year’s most challenged books and find new anti-censorship resources or media. The guide is also useful to learn about the history of book bans and challenges, find resources to research censorship trends and anti-censorship theory and discover ways to take action against restrictions on intellectual freedom. The guide also highlights the library’s “Exploring Censorship and Banned Books” collection, which features many titles available as ebooks through the ASU Library catalog.
Online content to expand and test your Banned Books knowledge
Looking for a quick lesson about the history and trends of banned books? The Banned Books Microlesson is a short, self-paced lesson that will help you identify terminology, examine patterns in current events surrounding book bans and understand how to take action against book bans.
How well do you know your trivia? The Banned Books Jeopardy game will let you test your knowledge on challenged books and the history of book banning. And if you get stuck on questions, the microlesson may provide the answers!
Plus, look out for ASU Library on Instagram to watch library staff share their favorite banned or challenged books!
Join community and online events
To kick off Banned Books Week, ASU Library is partnering with Project Humanities for a special event on Thursday, Oct. 2, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Hayden Library. A film screening of “Banned Together,” which tells the story of the three students who fought to reinstate 97 books suddenly pulled from their school libraries, will be followed by a short discussion.
Online Banned Books trivia takes place on Thursday, Oct. 9, with a chance to test your knowledge of challenged titles and win some library swag. Sign up for online trivia at noon or online trivia at 4 p.m., and don’t forget to invite your friends!
Stop by a tabling event on campus
From word searches and stickers to bookmarks and activities, stop by the libraries for opportunities to chat with librarians and share your favorite banned books.
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Downtown Phoenix campus Library, Monday, Oct. 6, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
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Hayden Library, Tempe campus, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
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Polytechnic campus Library, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
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Fletcher Library, West Valley campus, Thursday, Oct. 9, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Celebrate your freedom to read
For over forty years, the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week has supported the book community’s freedom to read, and 2025 is no different.
“We hope that this year’s Banned Books Week theme, ‘Read for Your Rights,’ inspires everyone in our community to see themselves as changemakers,” said Leela Denver, assistant librarian with the E-Learning and Instruction team. “LGBTQ+ and BIPOC voices are the most heavily censored by book bans and challenges. Still, we are all impacted by this issue; we all have the opportunity to educate ourselves on the current and historical impacts of censorship and to take action in fighting against the erasure of knowledge.”
