Blogs I recently watched The Librarians, a documentary directed by Kim A. Snyder that follows school and public librarians on the front lines of the national battle against book bans and censorship in the United States. While the film had many powerful moments, the images that stayed with me most were some of the simplest: rows of empty library shelves where books had once been.
I found myself feeling angry as I looked at those empty spaces. We often hear about book challenges and bans in terms of titles, numbers, policies, and debates. But those empty shelves made the issue feel real, representing stories and perspectives readers could no longer easily discover for themselves.
As an educator, it also got me thinking: How much do students understand about intellectual freedom and book challenges? Do they understand the the difference between choosing not to read a book and limiting access to it for others?
Banned Books Week (October 4–10) offers a fantastic opportunity to explore those questions. The American Library Association (ALA) provides Banned & Challenged Books resources with information about censorship, challenged books, and the freedom to read, along with tools educators can use to bring these conversations into the classroom.
Here are a few ways to get the conversation started:
Start With the Basics
Students may have heard terms like banned or censorship, but they may not fully understand what they mean. Start by exploring the difference between a book being challenged and banned, along with concepts like intellectual freedom and the freedom to read. Then, bring these ideas to life with a few everyday scenarios:
- A student decides a particular book isn’t for them and chooses something else.
- A parent asks for their child to read a different book for an assignment.
- Someone asks a school library to reconsider whether a particular book should be available.
- A book is removed from a library after a formal challenge.
Ask students: What’s different about these situations? Who is making the decision in each one, and who does that decision affect?
These questions help students see the difference between making a personal choice about what to read and making a decision that affects what others can access. This builds background knowledge while opening the door to bigger conversations about censorship and the freedom to read.
Once students understand the basics, give them an opportunity to share what they’ve learned. The ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom’s Banned Books Week Ideas & Resources page includes activity and display ideas, while its Free Downloads collection includes graphics, infographics, and other materials educators can use during Banned Books Week.
Investigate a Book Challenge
Students may be surprised to discover that books they know have been challenged somewhere in the United States. Instead of simply sharing a list, turn that discovery into an investigation. Have students choose an age-appropriate title and dig into its history: When and where was it challenged? What concerns were raised? What action was requested? What ultimately happened?
Students can explore the ALA’s list of the “Top 11 Most Challenged Books” from previous years and use the Censorship Search Portal to research challenges involving particular titles and authors. For a ready-to-use activity, ReadWriteThink’s A Case for Reading lesson by Lisa Storm Fink guides students through exploring censorship and investigating challenged and banned books.
As students research, encourage them to look beyond what happened and consider the issue from several points of view. What concerns were raised about the book? How did others respond? What reasons were given for keeping, restricting, or removing it? Students can examine the reasoning and evidence behind each perspective before developing and supporting their own conclusions.
This is also a good opportunity to emphasize an important idea: Reading an idea is not the same as agreeing with it. Students will encounter ideas throughout their lives that they may find uncomfortable, unfamiliar, confusing, or simply disagree with. Learning to examine those ideas, ask questions, evaluate evidence, and respectfully consider different perspectives can help them become more thoughtful and informed readers.
For older students who are ready to dig deeper, ReadWriteThink’s Censorship in the Classroom: Understanding Controversial Issues by Beth O’Connor provides a ready-to-use lesson in which students investigate censorship and challenged books, consider different viewpoints, and use evidence to develop and support their own perspectives.
Take the Conversation Beyond Books
For older students, take the conversation beyond books by asking: Does intellectual freedom apply only to what we read?
The ALA points out that challenges to information can extend beyond books to websites, databases, films, programs, displays, and other resources. Its resources on internet filtering offer another way to explore what access to information can look like in the digital world.
Ask students: Who decides which websites they can access at school? When might restricting online content be appropriate? Could a filter meant to protect students also keep them from accessing useful information? What responsibilities come with having access to so much information?
These questions can help students see that intellectual freedom isn’t just about what is—or isn’t—on a library shelf. It also connects to the information they encounter, search for, and share every day.
Keep the Conversation Going
Banned Books Week may spark the conversation, but exploring intellectual freedom can continue all year. The goal isn’t to tell students what to think, but to help them ask thoughtful questions, seek reliable information, consider different perspectives, and draw their own informed conclusions.
When I think back to The Librarians, I still picture those empty shelves. They remind me that this conversation is about more than books. It’s about who has access to ideas, who makes decisions about that access, and what happens when people disagree.
We don’t have to answer those questions for our students. We can give them the tools, information, and space to explore them for themselves.
About the Author
Samantha Lundberg is the Associate Director of Content Development at PDI. She holds a B.S. in School Health Education, as well as a M.A. in Special Education with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis. Samantha draws on her extensive knowledge to develop and refine engaging, research-based courses. Her work centers on helping educators create inclusive, supportive learning environments where social-emotional growth is prioritized and both students and teachers feel seen, supported, and mentally well.
Fun fact: Samantha has been to all of the U.S. Disney parks, as well as 3 of the international parks! She hopes to visit all of the parks someday.
