SBPL Celebrates the Freedom to Read During Banned Books Week 2025
Santa Barbara Public Library invites the community to celebrate the freedom to read with a special book club discussion of Ray Bradbury’s, Fahrenheit 451, and banned books bookmark design contest as part of Banned Books Week, October 5-11.
Across the United States, the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 821 attempts to censor library materials and programs in 2024. In those attempts, 2,452 unique book titles were challenged. Data shows that a vast majority (72%) of censorship attempts were initiated by “pressure groups and government entities that include elected officials, board members, and administrators,” as opposed to parents and individual library users who had initiated the majority of book challenges in the past. The most common justifications for book challenges include: illegal obscenity for minors; inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters or themes; and topics of race, racism, equity, and social justice.
SBPL stands in support of intellectual freedom. As outlined in SBPL’s Collection Development policy, the library’s mission includes providing access to information and collections in order to support the free expression of ideas, an informed public, and participation in government and civil society in support of the public good. To encourage dialogue and discussion around access to information and the free expression of ideas, SBPL is providing free copies of Fahrenheit 451 (while supplies last) and inviting community members to a book club discussion at the Central Library on Sunday, October 5, from 2-3:30 pm. For those more visually inclined, SBPL invites artists of all ages to submit a design for SBPL’s Banned Books Bookmark Contest. See details below.
Whether you participate in one of SBPL’s programs, read a banned book, or talk with a friend about the harms of censorship, we encourage you to exercise your intellectual freedoms.
Free copies of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 will be available to pick up at the Central Library in mid-September, while supplies last.
Banned Books Week programming is generously supported by the Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation.
Banned Books Bookmark Contest
Your bookmark design should be your own original creation. Please avoid copyrighted images.
- One entry per person, please.
- Please do not include personal information, such as your name, on the bookmark.
- No prizes, awards, or recognition will be given to entries by Santa Barbara Public Library employees or their family members.
- All work should be original. If references are used, it should be obvious that the piece as a whole has been transformed and is not a direct copy of other photos or artwork.
About Banned Books Week
Since 1982, Banned Books Week has rallied librarians, booksellers, authors, publishers, teachers, and readers of all types to celebrate and defend the freedom to read. Banned Books Week is an annual event that highlights the value of free and open access to information. The event is supported by a coalition of organizations dedicated to free expression, including the American Library Association, and is endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.