Top 11 Most Challenged Books of 2025. Composite of 11 close-up crops of various book covers. Text at bottom: "Protect the freedom to read" ala.org/bbooks. American Library Association

The list of 2025's most challenged books was release this morning as part of ALA's State of America's Libraries Report.

Of the 4,235 unique titles that were challenged or banned in 2025, these were the top 11 most frequently targeted for censorship: https://bit.ly/3TE4cHi

#NationalLibraryWeek

Kicking off National Library Week is The Right to Read Day!
It's a day for readers, advocates, and library lovers to take action to protect, defend, and celebrate the right to read.
Stay tuned for ALA's State of Libraries Report and the most challenged books from last year.

Some of our colleagues are going through difficult times as they battle censorship and discrimination. Your donation supports library workers who have been threatened for defending intellectual freedom.
Note: Because the Merritt Fund donations are not tax-deductible.
Learn more at merrittfund.org

Image of a gavel on a book.

NEW!

The American Library Association has settled its lawsuit against the Trump administration in their dismantling of the IMLS.

This is the second win in federal court for the IMLS this week.

bookriot.com/ala-v-sonder...

FYI!
We are pushing back our first session by a week!
Please share and encourage others to register today!
bit.ly/3PESsFr

Many library workers believe they understand their academic freedom status, but institutional policies and employment classifications can make those protections more complex than they first appear. These sessions will help participants clarify what applies to their work.
bit.ly/3PESsFr

Your donation directly supports library workers facing discrimination or who have been threatened for defending intellectual freedom.
Note: Because the Merritt Fund is a charitable trust and not a 501(c)(3), donations are not tax-deductible.
Learn more at www.merrittfund.org

Our candidates for Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect and Secretary will share their perspectives on the landscape of intellectual freedom, discuss the role of IFRT, and outline their vision for their term in office.
This event will be held via Zoom. To participate, please register at: bit.ly/4rnaB85

A Nationwide Book Ban Bill Has Been Introduced in the House of Representatives Hours after the State of the Union address, House republicans introduced legislation banning LGBTQ+ books from public schools nationwide.

A nationwide book ban bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives. Here's what you need to know about HR7661, including who is behind it, the history behind such bills, and what you need to do to stop it.

bookriot.com/hr7661-book-...

Show love with the Merritt Fund! Donate to the #MerrittFund and help a librarian
defending intellectual freedom or facing discrimination.
Note: Because the Merritt Fund is a charitable trust and not a 501(c)(3), donations are
not tax-deductible.
bit.ly/3OoybDl

Independent Lens | The Librarians | Season 27 | Episode 5 Librarians across the U.S. examine how restrictions on library content are shaping communities.

Did You Watch THE LIBRARIANS Last Night?

THE LIBRARIANS is now streaming on @pbs.org. If you didn't get to watch it yesterday, please carve out a couple hours to do so. And please encourage as many people as you can to watch this important documentary.

www.pbs.org/video/the-li...

7+ Court Cases About Book Bans to Watch in 2026: Book Censorship News, January 16, 2026 Are library books considered "government speech?" Can a public library ban LGBTQ+ books? Seven book censorship court cases to watch in 2026.

These are the book censorship court cases to keep an eye on in 2026. They will impact *your* rights to use libraries and access a wide range of materials that reflect our diverse world.

bookriot.com/court-cases-...

Know an organization working to support intellectual freedom, patron privacy, and anti-censorship efforts?This award includes a citation, $1,000 and honors groups with ongoing or standout coalition-building and advocacy work in intellectual freedom.
Deadline: February 1, 2026
www.ala.org/ifrt/hodges

Stand with librarians in their time of need. Whether they applied for assistance as they faced discrimination, defended library material, or fought to protect intellectual freedom, the Merritt Fund was there.
Show love to librarians with THE MERRITT FUND and make a contribution today.
bit.ly/49iDJY8

Check this out!!!!! You can follow this bot on Bluesky to receive updates whenever something new happens in these censorship cases. There’re also posted at bots.law/little-cases.... @ifrt-ala.bsky.social @uabookbans.bsky.social @la-cac.org @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social @heykellyjensen.bsky.social

a greeting card that says happy holidays ALT: a greeting card that says happy holidays

Happy holidays from your friends at the IFRT Round Table.
Savor this time of the year, and your freedom to read freely.

“Authoritarians gain power when citizens stop paying attention. Visit your local library, check out books, and keep reading. If we stay unified and informed, we can ensure reading w/out restriction remains the foundation of our democracy and a fundamental freedom for all.”
time.com/7341120/book...

Photo of a banner featuring the logo for the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Photo credit: Shannon Finney / Institute of Museum and Library Services. Text below reads: "ALL PREVIOUSLY CANCELED FEDERAL LIBRARY GRANTS HAVE BEEN RESTORED: Following a court decision, the Institute of Museum and Library Services—the federal agency that provides funding for America’s libraries—announced it had reinstated all grants that it had previously terminated." Logos for I Love Libraries and the American Library Association.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services, the federal agency that provides funding for America's libraries, has announced it is reinstating all grants it had previously terminated, including those to libraries and library organizations across the U.S.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4496W4V

Reminder tomorrow! Register today!

Libraries across the country are experiencing an unprecedented spike in censorship attempts. Donate to the LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund for librarians denied employment and employment rights in defense of intellectual freedom. #GivingTuesday
bit.ly/3K6gIht

Join IFRT for a virtual author talk and Q&A with Adam Szetela, author of That Book Is Dangerous!. He explores the impacts on literary freedom, the techniques used to mitigate controversy, and the broader cultural forces driving censorship.
Excerpt: bit.ly/4oSjt59
Register: bit.ly/4pea4UY

We're soliciting nominations for articles on the topic of intellectual freedom.
You can find more details and the submission form at the Oboler Award website.
Submissions are due by January 30, 2026.
www.ala.org/ifrt/oboler

Our next webinar session is tomorrow!
Sign up below!
ala-events.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Intellectual Freedom News 10/24/2025 ALA actively advocates and educates in defense of intellectual freedom—the rights of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely as guaranteed by the First Amendment. Intellectual freedo...

Our #FirstAmendment & civil rights are under attack #TLSky #EduSky, pls make time to read 10/31/25 @ifrt-ala.bsky.social #IntellectualFreedom News: #censorship, #1stAmendment /civil rights, academic freedom/student speech, legislation @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social news. www.oif.ala.org/intellectual...

Remember to come hang out with us this Friday!

Victory in Texas, as judge rules in our favor to stop enforcement of HB900, the mandatory government ratings law that seeks to impose a new Comics Code for graphic novels and other books distributed to schools. cbldf.org/2025/10/rate...

Join IFRT Reads on Oct. 28, 7–8 p.m. ET, for a conversation on The Fight Against Book Bans with editor Shannon Oltmann and chapter authors Glen Benedict & Jenna Kammer. Select chapters will be available to IFRT members in the IFRT Reads Community on Connect:
connect.ala.org/ifrt/communi....

It's almost time to join the round tables of ALA for interactive sessions about intellectual freedom, popular media, moral panic, and conversations about how libraries work to protect the freedom to read.
Friday, October 24, 2025
10:00a - 4:30p Central
youtube.com/@ALAGameRT
www.twitch.tv/ALAGameRT

A Texas District Has Just Banned Students from Secondary School Libraries In order to ban books from its libraries, New Braunfels Independent School District has just closed its libraries to middle and high schoolers.

Why ban books when you can ban the entire library?

New Braunfels ISD has frozen library purchase orders & closed secondary campus libraries following a harassment campaign by Libs of Tik Tok & other out of district extremists.

bookriot.com/new-braunfel...