Statement on California AB 1825, the Freedom to Read Act

The California Freedom to Read Act is an essential piece of legislation at a time when the number of nationwide and statewide book bans is exponentially increasing each year. 

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The EveryLibrary Institute and EveryLibrary have partnered with Dr. Tasslyn Magnusson, an independent researcher, to track the networks, organizations, and individual actors who are leading book-banning and book challenge efforts in our nation's school libraries and public libraries. Through this research, we have found that over 4,000 books were targeted for banning at school and public libraries in 2023. Previous to 2020, books were banned or challenged at a rate of approximately 300 books per year.

This exponential increase in censorship attempts is largely due to pressure groups and individuals who demand book bans in bulk, often targeting dozens or hundreds of titles at a time. Multi-title challenges comprised about 89% of all book challenges in public libraries in 2023, whereas multi-title challenges made up only 5% of book challenges in 2019. Additionally, groups that targeted materials in school libraries are now challenging the same titles at public libraries, ensuring a complete lack of access to these books. 

47% of books targeted are titles representing the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals. EveryLibrary believes this is wrong—everyone deserves access to stories that reflect their own unique voice and lived experience. 

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The California Freedom to Read Act will work to safeguard freedom of access to information and diverse ideas by preventing public libraries from banning books or other materials because of the topic, views, ideas, or opinions contained in the materials or in a manner that discriminates on the basis of race, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, political affiliation, or socioeconomic status. The bill will ensure public libraries cannot ban materials simply for including sexual content unless that content qualifies as obscene under a precedent set by the United States Supreme Court.

The bill will also protect librarians and library staff from termination, demotion, discipline, or retaliation for upholding these policies and defending the freedom to read. 

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California has not been safe from the nationwide book-banning epidemic—in 2023, there were 52 attempts to challenge 98 titles in California schools and public libraries, compared to 32 attempts to ban 87 titles in 2022. There have been challenges at public libraries in both Huntington Beach and Fresno County; Huntington Beach has now installed a Guardian Review Board to screen children’s materials for sexual content before they are purchased or placed in the library. 

EveryLibrary believes the government should not be able to make the decision about what is best for you or your family to read. 

It is essential we recognize the role libraries play in democratizing access to diverse materials. Cynthia Valencia, Legislative Advocate of ACLU California Action, states: "Learning and engaging with diverse ideas is foundational to any healthy democracy. The recent call by some to limit access to books does more than suppress the subject matter—it also disregards the lived experiences and identities of authors and readers.” Join us in upholding intellectual diversity, the freedom of access to information, and democracy itself by supporting the 2024 California Freedom to Read Act.