Librarian Resources


ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom Challenge Reporting

"Since 1990, the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom has maintained a confidential database on  challenged materials. ALA collects information from two sources: newspapers and reports submitted by individuals. All challenges are compiled into a database. Reports of challenges culled from newspapers across the country are compiled in the bimonthly  Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom ; those reports are then compiled in the Banned Books Week Resource Guide. Challenges reported to the ALA by individuals are kept confidential. In these cases, ALA will release only the title of the book being challenged, the state and the type of institution (school, public library). The name of the institution and its town will not be disclosed. A list of  most frequently challenged books is compiled from these challenges for each annual  Banned Books Week."