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Turning the Page: an Advocate's Guide to the Freedom to Read was made by public school parents who found themselves in the middle of an organized plan to undermine public education. This guide puts critical information and organizing support in one place, to make the lift a little lighter for the average volunteer advocate.

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About Us

The Freedom to Read Project exists to develop education and research materials to help limit book bans and education censorship across the country. We support robust, content-rich classroom, school, and public libraries and oppose the removal of books based on ideological, partisan, or religious reasons.

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Donate To Fight Book Bans in the United States. The Freedom to Read Project is a 501(c)(3) organization that advocates to protect student access to information and books in our public schools and communities.

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Keeping Up and Checking In

Read the latest news, tips, and get access to the information you need to advocate effectively for the freedom to read.

Who Gets to Decide What We Read? The Federal Court Battles That Could Redefine the Freedom to Read

October 30, 2026

Across the country, federal judges are confronting a fundamental constitutional question: Does the First Amendment protect our right to receive ideas through public libraries, or can government officials remove books simply because they disagree with their contents? As of October 2026, the answer increasingly depends on where you live.

When AI Decides Which Books Deserve Suspicion

October 21, 2026

Imagine being a school librarian and receiving a list of books that must be reviewed for possible violations of state law. The list includes novels, nonfiction, books about puberty and reproduction, books addressing sexual violence, and even books encouraging teenagers to abstain from sex.

Who Is Working to Privatize Our Public Schools and Libraries?

October 15, 2026

Understanding the organizations, financial interests, and political networks reshaping America's public institutions Public schools and libraries have something fundamental in common: They were created to serve everyone. A public school must provide an education to the children in its community. A public library makes books, information, technology, and other resources available regardless of a person's income or background. Both institutions are built on the idea that access to knowledge is a public good, not a privilege reserved for those who can afford it.

They Told Us What Censorship Looks Like. We Should Listen.

October 07, 2026

There is a reason dystopian novels so often begin with control over information. Burn the books. Rewrite the history. Narrow the vocabulary. Decide which stories are dangerous. Convince people that restricting information will protect them. And eventually, teach people to censor themselves.

Who Pays the Price When the State Takes Book Decisions Away from Local Communities?

October 01, 2026

Last week, Florida Commissioner of Education Henry Mack sent a seven-page memorandum to every school district superintendent and charter school leader in the state. The memo calls on districts to proactively audit their school library and classroom collections, cross-reference their holdings against books removed elsewhere in Florida, and review books before a parent or resident ever files an objection.

Reading Is Good for Our Brains. So Why Are We Making Books Harder to Access?

September 23, 2026

For years, those who defend the freedom to read have argued that access to books matters. Books help children develop literacy skills. They expose readers to new ideas and experiences. They build knowledge, spark curiosity, and provide opportunities to see the world through someone else’s eyes.

What Can I Do Now to Protect Our Schools and Libraries From Threats to the Freedom to Read?

September 17, 2026

For the past five years, we have watched threats to the freedom to read evolve. What began in many communities as challenges to individual books has expanded into legislation, restrictive library policies, mass challenges, funding threats, pressure on librarians and educators, and legal arguments that could fundamentally change how the First Amendment applies in our public libraries. Increasingly, decisions about what people can read are being made not only at library and school board meetings, but also in capitols and courtrooms.

The Librarians Won an Emmy. The Fight It Documents Is Far From Over.

September 10, 2026

This weekend, The Librarians won the Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking, a well-deserved recognition for a film that has helped bring the reality of modern book censorship to audiences across the country.

When “Government Speech” Does Not Mean Your Local Government

September 03, 2026

We have written before about a legal argument gaining traction in book-ban litigation: the claim that decisions about which books appear in public school libraries constitute “government speech.” Under that theory, when a government chooses which books to include or remove, it is expressing its own message and therefore has broad authority to determine what that message will be. The government would not be required to account for the First Amendment rights of citizens in making those decisions, and, in principle, it could go so far as to dismantle the free marketplace of ideas within the collection altogether. 

Texas Is Threatening Schools Over Books. Florida Has Seen This Playbook Before.

August 27, 2026

Last week, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick stood at a press conference and issued a warning to public schools: remove books he considers inappropriate or risk consequences. Patrick said he plans to pursue legislation in the next legislative session that would lower a school district’s A-F accountability rating by one letter grade if it fails to remove books deemed prohibited. “We’re coming for the books,” he told school districts. (Texas Tribune)
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