Long Beach Library Joins Fight Against Book Bans

Book bans have always been an ongoing issue in the United States, with many discussing and protesting the idea of literary censorship. And as more attempts to ban or censor certain literature from the public continues, several public libraries from cities across the country have banded together to fight against it, including, recently, Long Beach’s own public library.

The Books Unbanned program was originally founded in 2022, by the Brooklyn Public Library in New York. Taking inspiration from the Library Bill of Rights, the program’s goals are to ensure that readers across the U.S. maintain the right to read all forms of literature without fear of literary censorship.

Aside from the Brooklyn Public Library, the program is also partnered and supported by other libraries and institutions across the country, including: the Los Angeles County Library, the Boston Public Library, the San Diego Public Library and the Seattle Public Library, and now the Long Beach Public Library (LBPL).

According to LBPL Director Cathy De Leon, the library was approached with the idea of joining the Books Unbanned program through the LBPL Foundation, which heard about Books Unbanned through various library resources. Finding great interest in the program, the library began coordinating with the LBPL Foundation to help get the program off the ground in Long Beach.

“We were approached by our library foundation about the opportunity, because they had heard about it from other library foundations,” said De Leon. “We’ve always been an organization that obviously supports the freedom to read. So, for us, it was a good fit.”

As part of working with the Books Unbanned program, the LBPL is going forward with a new initiative to help readers and library-goers to have open access to a wide range of literary titles, via a digital library.

“We haven’t launched it yet, but in the next couple of months, there’s going to be, on our website, the ability to apply for an e-card, even if you don’t live in the state of California,” said De Leon.

Those that apply for an e-card, and meet the proper age criteria for the application, will have access to the LBPL’s entire eBook collection, via the online app Libby, according to De Leon. De Leon also says the age criteria for an e-card application is currently for ages 13-21 but may extend to ages 13-24 in the future.

For the LBPL, it’s important that young readers have the right to read and study literary works that catch their interest, without fear of censorship or ridicule from those that would see certain titles be taken off library shelves.

“We want to make sure that teens and young adults have free, unrestricted access to the books that they want to read,” said LBPL Foundation Director of Communications and Public Affairs Kristen Hernandez. “I think at that age, students and young people in their 20s should be able to make their own decisions about what they want to read. Or at least have the freedom to choose what to read and what not to read, rather than someone else telling them, ‘Hey, you’re not allowed to read that’.”

According to a data report made by the American Library Association (ALA), there were 821 attempts to censor materials and services U.S. schools and libraries, and almost 2,500 literary titles being targeted or challenged for censorship, in 2024. The ALA also found that the most frequently targeted title for censorship, in 2024, was the book “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson.

According to De Leon, a lot of the challenges against literary titles are coming from organized groups with political agendas, with said challenges becoming more frequent in recent years.

“Most of the books that are being targeted focus on themes that center on the LGBTQIA+ community,” said De Leon. “They also target books that center on themes that uplift the voices of people of color. For example, ‘The Color Purple’ by Alice Walker is a frequently requested to-be-banned book, as well as ‘The Bluest Eye’ by Toni Morrison. It’s very sad to see.”

The Books Unbanned Program is set to launch in the Long Beach Public Library in early October, according to Kristen Hernandez. The LBPL Foundation has already begun fundraising for program. But for citizens and library-goers that want to help the program grow, Kristen Hernandez says that donations would help go towards adding more books and literary works to the LBPL’s digital library.

“What we’re fundraising for is to help expand the Long Beach Public Library’s digital archives,” said Hernandez. “Sometimes with some of the more popular eBooks, there are longer waiting lists. And so, by being able to have the money that we can give to the library, the library can purchase a bigger catalog when there’s an influx of people with the Book Unbanned library cards.”

For more information on Books Unbanned, you can visit their official website at https://booksunbanned.com. For more information on the Long Beach Public Library, you can visit their website at https://www.longbeach.gov/library.