The report, published at the start of National Library Week, explores a range of topics, including threats to intellectual freedom. The ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) found that last year at least 4,235 unique addresses were contested — the association’s term for an attempt to remove or restrict a resource — the second-highest number ever documented, just below the record set in 2023.
The OIF also found that at least 5,668 books were banned from libraries – 66% of the books challenged – and 920 faced restrictions such as transfer or parental permission requirements. The American Library Association noted that “this is the largest number of titles censored in a single year and the highest rate of challenges resulting in censorship” dating back to 1990.
“In 2025, book bans were not caused by worried parents, nor were they the result of local grassroots efforts,” Sarah Lamdan, executive director of the International Organization of La Francophonie, explained in a statement. “They were part of a well-funded, politically motivated campaign to suppress the stories and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals and communities.”
Specifically, the International Organization of La Francophonie found that 92% of all book censorship efforts were initiated by “lobbying groups, government officials and policymakers,” and less than 3% came from individual parents. Additionally, 40% of the unique titles challenged last year – 1,671 works – were about the experiences of LGBTQIA+ people and people of color.
“Libraries exist to make room for every story and every lived experience,” stressed American Library Association President Sam Helmick. “As we celebrate National Library Week, we reaffirm that libraries are places of knowledge and access for all.”
the The most targeted titles In 2025 it was:
1. Sold By Patricia McCormick
2. the perks of being a wallflower By Stephen Chbosky
3. Kinky Sex: A Memoir By Maya Kobabi
4. Empire of Storms By Sarah J. diamond
5. (tie) Last night at the Telegraph Club By Malinda Law
5. (tie) Tricks By Ellen Hopkins
7. A court of thorns and roses By Sarah J. diamond
8. (tie) The orange the orange By Anthony Burgess
8. (tie) match By Ellen Hopkins
8. (tie) Looking for Alaska By John Green
8. (tie) Storm and fury Written by Jennifer L. Armentrout
The ALA publication also includes sections on library services for incarcerated or recidivating people, how libraries can “address literacy in a community-based and responsive way to meet today’s rapidly evolving and growing literacy needs,” and “intensive discussions about information access and changing financial priorities.”
The report highlights ALA’s “Show Up Our Libraries” campaign, which was launched in the face of attacks from Republican President Donald Trump — who has issued executive orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to effectively dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services. He also fired the Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, and the Register of Copyrights, Shira Perlmutter.
While the report sounds the alarm about the state of American libraries—and the nation more broadly—it also underscores, as Lamdan writes in one section, that “the story of library censorship in 2025…is not just about the challenges libraries faced, but also about the resilience of the people who championed them.”
She noted that “legal victories and new protections at the state level have emerged in many regions, strengthening well-established principles of intellectual freedom and reaffirming the role of libraries as institutions that serve all members of their communities.” “Coalitions of library workers, authors, educators, and community members have successfully defended the right to read in laws in Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island that protect intellectual freedom, libraries, and library workers.”
“Courts across the country have ruled that censorship legislation is unconstitutional,” Lamdan continued. “The justices declared that laws including Florida’s HB 1069 and Iowa’s SF 496, which mandate the removal of books containing certain viewpoints, were unconstitutionally vague and overbroad. The courts also affirmed the First Amendment right to read in libraries. Voters in states including Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas rejected school and library board nominees who focused on censorship, and elected board members who promised to protect people’s right to read and learn.”
“2025 was also a year of coalition building. Grassroots activists, advocacy organizations, writers, authors, publishers, educators, parents, and library workers came together to celebrate libraries and the joy of reading,” she added.
The report was released less than three months before the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence.
“As we look to the next 250 years, the choice is ours,” Helmick said. “We can let our libraries fade away, viewed as glamorous relics of a bygone era. Or we can choose to invest in them as the cornerstone of our future. Let us decide, now, that they are not optional. They are the same as a free society, and they are worth fighting for.”
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