Anne Arundel County’s status as a “book sanctuary” is on full display this week, amid the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week, through Oct. 11.
Anne Arundel County Public Libraries is hosting events and building displays to promote challenged books and the system’s objection to book censorship.
“We reaffirm the library’s role as a defender of intellectual freedom, a place where every individual has the right to explore ideas without fear of censorship or judgment,” CEO Skip Auld said in a news release.
Anne Arundel County was the site of a large-scale book banning earlier this year when the U.S. Naval Academy temporarily removed 381 titles in compliance with a directive from U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s office to eliminate works focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. One local bookstore responded by stocking the removed books with the use of crowd funding.
A banned book is any previously accessible work that has been challenged or removed from public access because someone deemed it harmful or dangerous, according to the library system.
The American Library Association started Banned Books Week in 1982 to draw attention to challenges to books and freedom of expression in schools, libraries and bookstores. The association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom compiles lists of challenged books reported in the media and submitted by librarians and teachers across the country.
In 2024, the group tracked 821 attempts to censor library materials covering 2,452 unique titles, fewer that 2023’s 938 challenges. The most challenged books were, in order, “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson, “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe and, tied for third, “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky. Visit the association’s website to read about why each book is challenged.
During last year’s Banned Book week, Anne Arundel declared itself a “book sanctuary,” an idea that started in Chicago in 2022. Book sanctuaries collect and protect books considered endangered to make them broadly accessible. They also host talks and events to educate the public on the history of book banning and burning.
“While some seek to block books they disagree with, our library system is stepping up to ensure that all voices, all stories and all perspectives are protected. This designation is a statement about our commitment to intellectual freedom and access to knowledge for everyone,” County Executive Stuart Pittman said in a release.
From 2018 to 2023, Maryland public libraries experienced a 600% increase in staff threats and 11 bomb threats related to this issue, according to the Maryland Association of School Librarians’ 2023 survey, the most recent conducted.
In 2024, there were fewer challenged books nationwide — 5,813 compared with 9,021 in 2023.
In Anne Arundel County, there have been no book challenges in the past year, but since 2019 there have been five formal challenges targeting the books “Lawn Boy,” “Gender Queer,” “Bye-Bye Binary,” “Our Colonial Year,” “Who Was Fidel Castro?,” and “The Blackbird Girls.” All are accessible at AACPL or through Maryland’s InterLibrary Loan program.
On Wednesday, there’s a Banned Book Club discussion at 5 p.m. at the Edgewater Library. Also Wednesday, patrons can create a miniature bookshelf at the Mountain Road Library at 6 p.m. or visit the Brooklyn Park Library at 6:30 p.m. for book-inspired crafts. On Thursday, visitors can see the “banned book museum” at the Busch Annapolis Library at 4 p.m. to learn the reasons behind banning titles like “The Lorax” and “Charlotte’s Web.”
More event details are available on the library’s website.
Have a news tip? Contact Bridget Byrne at bbyrne@baltsun.com or 443-690-7205
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