Overview

• PEN America reports 22,810 instances of book banning in U.S. public schools since 2021, with activity concentrated in states such as Florida (2,304), Texas (1,781) and Tennessee (1,622).
• New York’s legislature passed the Freedom to Read Act this year, and supporters are urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign a measure that would require statewide regulations and empower librarians to curate inclusive collections.
• New York City’s school librarian workforce has fallen from nearly 1,500 in 2005 to about 260 in 2023, prompting a new city reporting law and renewed calls for funding and staffing to restore library services.
• Recent New York disputes show the stakes: Clyde‑Savannah’s board ultimately kept challenged titles after reversal, Moms for Liberty lost its appeal, and Galway’s board voted to retain two contested books under established policies.
• Censorship pressures extend beyond K–12, with the U.S. Naval Academy initially purging 381 titles before restoring most and leaving 20 censored, and librarians reporting increased caution during Banned Books Week.