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Banned Books

Banned Books By Year

Note: The American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom has only been collecting data about banned books since 1990. As a result, there are no data nor lists of frequently challenged books or authors before that date. Still, remember that book banning has been happening for centuries. 

Top Banned Books by Year

How to Access Banned Books

Access hundreds of free Banned Books through the Internet Archive by clicking the links below:

You can also use these resources to locate your nearest libraries to browse collections, check out materials, circulate banned books, and more.

  • Library Finder - Find any public library in the United States using your location or using a ZIP code, city, and state.
  • Little Free Library World Map - View locations of Little Free Library sharing boxes from around the world. You can stock these boxes with banned books for others to read, or take a book for yourself.
  • Little Free Library Banned Books Map - In partnership with the American Library Association and PEN America, find the areas hit hardest by book bans and the nearest Little Free Library book-sharing box locations to get involved in protecting the right to read.
  • WorldCat Library Finder - Search for any library around the world based on the library name, postal code, or city name. You can also filter results by library type (public, academic, museum, archives, etc.).

Find Banned Books at ASU Library

You can watch this video on Library One Search, or you can access the Library One Search tip sheet. You can also read and follow these steps below:

If you're using Library One Search's Simple Search: 

  1. Under "Searching For," change the option to "ASU Library Catalog" from "All Resources"
  2. Type in any keywords, title, or author you are looking for. (Tip: Use quotation marks to ensure the exact phrase and order are searched.)
  3. Change the option on dropdown menu to best match what you are looking for (for example, if searching for books by Margaret Atwood, you'll want to change the dropdown from "keyword" to "author.")
  4. Hit "Search" or the Enter button on your keyboard. 
  5. On the right of the results screen, under "Filter My Results," limit results to "Books."

If you're using Library One Search's Advanced Search:

  1. Under "Searching For," change the option to "ASU Library Catalog" from "All Resources." 
  2. On the dropdown menu "Any field," change it to reflect the title, author/creator, ISBN number, subject, or genre you want to search. 
  3. Type in your respective search keywords or number.
  4. On the dropdown menu "Material Type," change it from "All items" to "Books" to include physical books and e-books. 

After you find the book you want:

  1. If it is an electronic book, click "Full text available" to access the database where it is located.
  2. If it's a physical book and you want to search within the library, write down the call number (a string of one or two letters followed by numbers) and select "Locate" to see the respective library floor map.
  3. If you want to pick it up from the library of your choice, click the button "Request ASU Copy," select the pickup location of your choice; then, hit "Send Request."
  4. If ASU Library doesn't own the book or if the book is checked out, you can select "Request ASU Copy" to place a hold on the book or select "Request external copy" to try and obtain it via Interlibrary Loan. (Note: The request should be partially filled out, but still include as much information as possible.)

Banned Book Week

The ASU Library acknowledges the twenty-three Native Nations that have inhabited this land for centuries. Arizona State University's four campuses are located in the Salt River Valley on ancestral territories of Indigenous peoples, including the Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) Indian Communities, whose care and keeping of these lands allows us to be here today. ASU Library acknowledges the sovereignty of these nations and seeks to foster an environment of success and possibility for Native American students and patrons. We are advocates for the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge systems and research methodologies within contemporary library practice. ASU Library welcomes members of the Akimel O’odham and Pee Posh, and all Native nations to the Library.