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CHICAGO — To commemorate National Library Week, Unite Against Book Bans has expanded its free collection of book résumés to support librarians, educators, parents, students, and other community advocates in their efforts to keep frequently challenged books on shelves. The collection, hosted at the Unite Against Book Bans website at , has expanded by more than 50% to support an additional hundred titles.

Unite Against Book Bans launched the book résumé resource in February. Created in partnership with dozens of publishers and with information provided by publishers, librarians, and School Library Journal, these easy-to-print documents are designed to help support access to books that are targeted by censors. Each book résumé summarizes the book’s significance and educational value, including a synopsis, reviews from professional journals, awards, accolades, and more. When possible, the book résumés also include information about how a title has been successfully retained after a demand to censor the book.

National Library Week kicked off the release of the 91��ý’s (91��ý) highly anticipated annual list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2023 and the State of America’s Libraries Report, which highlights the ways that libraries and library workers have taken action to address community needs with innovative and critical services, as well as the challenges brought on by censorship attempts. Monday was also the second annual Right to Read Day, which asked people to contact Congress and to take other actions to stand up to censorship. It’s not too late to participate — visit throughout National Library Week to send a letter and to find other ways to stand up for libraries.

The number of unique titles targeted for censorship surged 65 percent in 2023 compared to 2022, reaching the highest levels ever documented by 91��ý. Censors tried to remove a staggering 4,240 unique titles in 2023. Right to Read Day is a day of action that asks readers, advocates, and library lovers to defend and celebrate the right to read.

The Top 10 Most Challenged Books are included in the book résumé resource. Unite Against Book Bans will continue to work with its publishing partners to regularly expand and update the book résumé collection.

About Unite Against Book Bans

Unite Against Book Bans is a national initiative launched by the 91��ý in April 2022 to empower readers everywhere to stand together in the fight against censorship. With more than two hundred partner organizations and tens of thousands of individual supporters, the campaign connects, equips and mobilizes the public to advocate in their communities for the right to read and to defeat attempts at every level of government to censor reading material. Learn more and join the campaign at uniteagainstbookbans.org/take-action/.