So, someone is challenging books, and you want to fight back but you don’t know how. Here are some basic steps and resources to help you make a strong case—and help keep books available to everyone in libraries and classrooms.
For detailed guidance, select a starting place below based on your role in your community:
Librarians
















Additional self-censorship resources:
- Soft and Quiet: Self-Censorship in an Era of Book Challenges (Book Riot)
- Librarians Beware: Self-Censorship (ALA Intellectual Freedom Blog)
- A Study of Self-Censorship by School Librarians (School Library Research)
- Unnatural Selection: More Librarians are Self-Censoring (School Library Journal)



Additional resources from library professionals:
- Grassroots 101: How to Save Your Library from Organized Censorship (Association for Library Services to Children)
- School Libraries and Controversial Books: Tips from the Front Lines (Education Week)
- Up to the Challenge: Books to Navigate Threats to Intellectual Freedom (American Libraries)
- Standing Up for Intellectual Freedom: Managing All Stages of the Book Challenge Process (American Libraries)
- Trade Secrets: Surviving Censorship in the School Library (Booklist)
- Toolkit for Fighting Censorship (Book Riot)
Teachers









A toolkit created by the NCAC and NCTE suggests the following steps when a challenge occurs (pp. 9-11):



Additional resources on self-censorship:
- The NCTE Guidelines for Dealing with Censorship of Instructional Materials includes a portion on self-censorship (what they call indirect censorship):
- “Indirect censorship occurs when teachers, in an attempt to avoid controversy, self-censor their classrooms, limiting their students’ education, for instance, by restricting the viewpoints and perspectives of authors, producers, and community members that may be deemed controversial.”
- In “The Censors Are Coming: What You Need to Know,” Jeffrey Kaplan notes:
- “Teachers must never feel that they should shy away from a controversial book or text or writing – just to play it safe – because they feel that by playing it safe, they will avoid the inevitable.”



- Report your challenge.
- Organizations working to provide statistics, produce reports, and create resources need your help. Consider submitting details of book challenges in your community or encouraging teachers and librarians to report book challenges to the following places:
- National Coalition Against Censorship (Report Censorship)
- American Library Association (Challenge Reporting)
- National Council of Teachers of English (Report Censorship)
- PEN America (Report A Book Ban, bottom of page)
- Repeat all steps as necessary.
Parents & Allies














