Coordinator of Young Adult Services Brooklyn Public Library
BPL’s Books Unbanned campaign went viral in 2022 for its efforts to combat censorship by offering any U.S. teen ages 13-21 a free eCard and access to half a million digital books in the library’s collection. BPL also asked teens to “share stories on the impact that book challenges and bans have had on their lives,” and announced the formation of an Intellectual Freedom Teen Council to empower young people to fight for their Freedom to Read.
The campaign has issued more than 6,000 BPL eCards in every U.S. state, D.C., and Puerto Rico and collected thousands of heartbreaking stories shared by teens nationwide experiencing limited library access, censorship, and bigotry. Now, join the Books Unbanned team to hear about their work to connect with partners and stabilize the campaign, plus learn how your library – regardless of size or budget – can take steps to defend Intellectual Freedom.
