Plaza Branch and Central Library will open late at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17 due to the Kansas City Marathon.
Banned Books Week got its start in 1982 in response to an uptick in book challenges in libraries, schools, and bookstores.
Those challenges continue today.
This year’s campaign runs from October 4 to 10 with the theme “Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read.” The American Library Association, the largest non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to the country’s libraries, and the Banned Books Week Coalition organize it.
“Every person has the right to seek information and choose books without censorship,” said ALA President (2025-2026) Sam Helmick in a press release. “When we say, ‘Let Books Be,’ we’re showing up for readers everywhere and reaffirming that libraries are for everyone.”
In 2025, according to the ALA, there were 487 attempts to censor books at libraries, schools, and universities. The reasons listed for censorship included “false claims of illegal obscenity for minors; inclusion of LGBTQIA+ representation; covering topics of race, racism, social justice, and diversity; and presenting political or religious views with which the challengers disagreed.”
The ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) also reported that in 2025, 4,235 unique titles were challenged in libraries — the second-highest number documented by ALA. And, according to OIF, most book censorship attempts stemmed from organized movements.
“In 2025, 92% of all book challenges were initiated by pressure groups, government officials, and decision makers, up from 72% in 2024,” the ALA posted on its website. “Less than 3% of challenges originated from individual parents.”
Banned Books Week Coalition Chair Barbara Stripling said that this year’s theme provides a motivation “to stand up for the right to read.”
She added, “We must let books be a window into ourselves and others, a door to new ideas and possibilities, and a path to full participation in our society.”
The Library encourages Kansas City metro area residents to participate year-round.
Here’s how:
- Register to vote.
- Write a letter to legislators.
- Check out (and read!) a banned book.
- Report censorship.
Past Events
Watch a video from some of the Library’s past Signature Events.
That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America
School librarian Amanda Jones’ life changed forever after she spoke at a public library board meeting in 2022 in Livingston Parish, Louisiana. She voiced concern about censorship as other librarians across the nation have — more and more in recent years — and a pro-censorship group heard her.
At the Library in 2024, Jones, a veteran educator, discussed her journey battling that group, how it changed her personal and professional life, and why fighting censorship at every turn is crucial to the health and continuance of a democracy.
Works from Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to Toni Morrison’s Beloved have long faced challenges. In 2022, a panel of veteran librarians from Kansas City-area library systems examined the issue and walked through a range of books targeted for removal or restrictions.
Suggested Reading
We’ve put together a list of some of the most challenged titles since 2014, plus other resources to further your appreciation of the freedom to read.