Banned Books

The National Coalition Against Censorship encourages those who have either experienced censorship or had their right to freedom of speech and expression threatened to use their Report Censorship form, for “One of the best ways to fight censorship is to call it out as it happens.”

The American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE)
ABFE “is the free expression initiative of the American Booksellers Association (“ABA”). ABFE was founded in 1990 to be the bookseller’s voice in the fight against censorship. ABFE’s mission is to promote and protect free expression, particularly expression within books and in literary culture, through legal advocacy, education, and collaboration with other groups with an interest in free speech.”

American Library Association: Banned & Challenged Books
“ALA compiles data on book challenges from reports filed by library professionals in the field and from news stories published throughout the United States.”
See their Challenge Reporting form, their Fight Censorship resources, their Researching Banned or Challenged Books online library guide, and the Shop Banned Book Products store.

The American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom (ALA-OIF)
“Established December 1, 1967, the Office for Intellectual Freedom is charged with implementing ALA policies concerning the concept of intellectual freedom as embodied in the Library Bill of Rights, the Association’s basic policy on free access to libraries and library materials. The goal of the office is to educate librarians and the general public about the nature and importance of intellectual freedom in libraries.”

Amnesty International: Amnesty's Banned Books Week Action
“As a member of the Banned Books Week Coalition and in solidarity with the American Library Association (ALA) and organizations around the world, Amnesty organizes and mobilizes action to defend and protect freedom of expression.”

Authors Against Book Bans
“We, a coalition of writers, illustrators, anthology editors and contributors, and other book creators, stand united against the deeply unconstitutional movement to limit the freedom to read. We unequivocally support the availability of diverse voices on our library shelves, in our schools, and in our culture. We pledge to band together against the oppression of literature, to speak when our voices are silenced, to go where our bodies are needed, and to fight as one to ensure this freedom. Together, we will be fearless.”

The Authors Guild: Book Banning

Banned Books Week Coalition
“The Banned Books Week Coalition is an international alliance of diverse organizations joined by a commitment to increase awareness about censorship attempts and to encourage the defense of the freedom to read. The Coalition seeks to engage various communities and inspire participation in Banned Books Week through education, advocacy, and the creation of programming about the problem of book censorship.”

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF)
“Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the First Amendment rights of the comics art form and its community of retailers, creators, publishers, librarians, and readers. The CBLDF provides legal referrals, representation, advice, assistance, and education in furtherance of these goals.”

EveryLibrary
“EveryLibrary helps public, school, and college libraries win funding at the ballot box, ensuring stable funding and access to libraries for generations to come. We also support grassroots groups across the country defend and support their local library against book banning, illicit political interference, and threats of closure.”
See their Legislation of Concern and Model “Libraries for All Act” Released pages.

Fight for the First
“Fight for the First is the first line of defense against attacks against the first amendment. Developed by EveryLibrary, a 501c(4) organization with national reach, Fight for the First empowers communities to act in defense of their constitutional right to free speech.”

Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF)
“The Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) is a non-profit legal and educational organization affiliated with the American Library Association. FTRF protects and defends the First Amendment to the Constitution and supports the right of libraries to collect - and individuals to access - information.”

The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC)
Founded in 1974, NCAC is an alliance of more than 50 national non-profit organizations, including literary, artistic, religious, educational, professional, labor, and civil liberties groups, united in their support of freedom of thought, inquiry, and expression. NCAC works with teachers, educators, writers, artists, and others around the country dealing with censorship debates in their own communities. It educates its members and the public at large about the dangers of censorship, and it advances policies that promote and protect freedom of expression and democratic values. NCAC’s Kids’ Right to Read Project (KRRP), a key initiative of its Youth Free Expression Program, is a unique advocacy project that works at the grassroots level to protect students’ right to read in schools, libraries, and bookstores across the country.

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
“The National Council of Teachers of English is devoted to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education.”
See the Banned Books Week site, their Freedom to Teach: Statement against Banning Books, and the NCTE Intellectual Freedom Center.

PEN America -- The Freedom to Write
“PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible.”
See their Banned Books topics page as well as their Book Ban Resources

Texas FReadom Fighters
“Texas Freadom Fighters was founded by a group of Texas librarians to support intellectual freedom. We believe in the right to read.
We are committed to highlighting the positive work of librarians, speaking up in support of students and authors, and providing professional resources for those facing book challenges.”

United Against Book Bans
This campaign is organized by the American Library Association and was launched with the generous support of the Steve & Loree Potash Family Foundation and the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation. They provide book resumes that you can utilize to defend books from censorship and promote each title's educational significance. 

We Need Diverse Books (WNDB)
WNDB is a non-profit organization that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people. They provide statistics on diverse representation in literature, but also on the diversity of staff within the publishing industry. WNDB also addresses book challenges by including a master list of resources, as well as detailed guidance for librarians, teachers, and parents or allies to follow.

Article 19 is a human rights organisation with a specific mandate and focus on the defence and promotion of freedom of expression and freedom of information worldwide.

The Blue Ribbon Campaign is sponsored by the Electric Frontier Foundation, the leading nonprofit that defends digital privacy, free speech, and innovation. Display the blue ribbon to support the essential human right of free speech, a fundamental building block of free society, affirmed by the U.S. Bill of Rights in 1791 and by the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

Committee on Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE) is part of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). The overall objective of IFLA/FAIFE is to raise awareness of the essential correlation between the library concept and the values of intellectual freedom.

International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) runs the world’s most comprehensive free expression information service through its daily Alerts, weekly IFEX Communiqué newsletter, free expression headlines Digest and website.

FREEMUSE is an independent, international non-governmental organisation advocating for freedom of artistic expression and cultural diversity. It is sponsored by the World Forum on Music and Censorship, an independent international organisation which advocates freedom of expression for musicians and composers worldwide.

Network of Concerned Historians (NCH) wants to provide a bridge between international human rights organizations campaigning for censored or persecuted historians (and others concerned with the past) and the global community of historians.

The File Room is a web-based censorship archive that was initiated as an artist's project by Muntadas and originally produced by Randolph Street Gallery (a non-profit artist run center in Chicago, IL, 1979-1998).

The International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) is an association of cities around the world dedicated to the value of Freedom of Expression. Each ICORN city focuses on one writer at a time, each writer representing the countless others in hiding, in prison or silenced forever.

The Literature Police website and database are supplements to Peter D. McDonald’s book The Literature Police: Apartheid Censorship and its Cultural Consequences, which was first published by Oxford University Press in February 2009. It is intended for anyone curious to know more about the subject and for those interested in doing further research into the vast topic of apartheid censorship.