Preserving the freedom to read: After 40 years of Banned Book Week, librarians craft new plan to fight back

Banned Book Week started 40 years ago as a celebration of the freedom to read but the librarian-led movement is shifting into the world of grassroots organizing as an unprecedented number of book-ban efforts have emerged around the country.

The campaign, Unite Against Book Bans, is a collaborative effort launched by the ALA and a wide range of individuals and groups to provide local residents tools for outreach and organizing to combat the growing effort of book banning and censorship, said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom.

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