Like CBLDF, the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom is a resource that librarians can call upon for help when facing a book challenge. The OIF maintains a confidential database of information about library challenges, which helps them identify the most frequently challenged books. For the most part, they gather this information from news reports and librarians. However, if the challenge doesn’t make the news or an individual doesn’t report the challenge, the OIF misses an important piece of information that might help them protect books from future challenges. To help raise awareness about the importance of reporting book challenges, the OIF posted a short video on how librarians can inform them of book challenges:
Remember, if you have a First Amendment emergency, CBLDF should be your first call (800-99-CBLDF) — we’re ready to help the comics community face challenges from book bans to legal cases and more!