Let Freedom Read @ Lane Medical Library
Be a Banned Book Champion
We purchased a selection of the top challenged books from the last 20+ years and added them to our D-CORE Collection. We want you to champion a book! Complete the form at the link below to let us know which book you’re championing and what the book means to you.
We’d love to share your story with our followers, but we also understand if you would prefer we don’t—just let us know in the last question!
Join Us the Week of October 1st
If you’re on campus and have a Stanford ID, visit Lane Library during Banned Books Week (October 1-7) to participate in banned book-themed activities! Banned Book Week activities include:
- Guess the Book: We’ll give you a clue and you have to guess the associated banned book.
- Have You Read These Books?: We’ll have a poster with the most challenged books from the last decade; put a little mark next to the books you’ve read. We will have our banned book collection on display in the Duck Room. Check it out and bring one home to read!
- To Ban or Not to Ban Jar: We’ll have a jar with marbles, answer anonymously with a marble in a cup marked yes or no. Check in next week to see the results!
- Banned Book Questions: By the Duck Room, we’ll have a whiteboard with a series of questions relating to banned books. Share your response(s) on a sticky note. We’ll gather the responses and share them the week after!
- Puzzle Time!: We’ll have a 500-piece banned book puzzle for you to put together.
Can’t make it to the library? We will also have virtual activities! Check our Banned Books Week guide, and keep an eye on our social media pages for images and recaps.
What is Banned Book Week?
For over 20 years, the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) has gathered statistics on the books that are challenged across the country. Every Spring, they release a recap of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books. These annual lists–which often feature books that are about minority and LGBTQ+ communities–create awareness about censorship attempts in libraries.
In 2022, there were over 1,200 attempts to ban library materials and over 2,500 books targeted, the highest amount submitted since OIF began tracking.
Tell me more about what’s on the list.
