Reading Between the Lines: Celebrating Banned Books Week Through the Lens of the Information Literacy Framework

Book challenges, attempts to restrict or remove reading materials from libraries and schools due to content objections, pose a significant threat to intellectual freedom. By targeting works that offer diverse viewpoints, these efforts limit access to ideas that foster critical thinking, empathy, and cultural understanding. When successful, such challenges can result in the banning of books, silencing voices and stories that deserve to be heard, and effectively curtailing the right to read and explore different viewpoints. The ACRL Information Literacy Framework places intellectual freedom at the heart of academic librarianship, echoing ALA’s firm stance against censorship. By embracing this framework, academic libraries are called to create spaces where students can freely explore a wide range of ideas, perspectives, and sources—without barriers to access or inquiry