Most At-Risk Books For Removal Following Requests Received By Oregon Libraries

In a new report, the Oregon Intellectual Freedom Clearinghouse discloses a large spike in the number of books and other materials challenged at Oregon schools and public libraries in the past 12 months.

Requests Made For Oregon Libraries To Remove Books

150 books and documents on Oregon library shelves are in jeopardy after people requested- between July 2023 and June 2024, that they be removed or put in age-restricted sections in libraries. The majority of the books are graphic novels and young adult books.

The report from the clearinghouse, which is affiliated with the State Library of Oregon, indicated that the challenges to the material came from around the state.

The challenges came from community members at 40 different libraries, schools, and colleges across 20 of the 36 Oregon counties. The highest number of challenges came from Northeast Oregon and the Willamette Valley.

The objectors cited several reasons for their challenges to the material, including sex and nudity, works that are unsuitable for minors, and books that highlighted profanity or queer culture.

Library Books Most In Jeopardy In Oregon Libraries And Schools

Of the objections, three books stood out as the material most frequently challenged. The top three most challenged titles all reflected LGBTQ+ themes. They are:

• “Beyond Magenta” by Susan Kuklin: This is a nonfiction work delving into the lives of six young  gender-neutral or transgender Americans.
• “Flamer” by Mike Curato:  The book is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel set in the 1990s and the protagonist is a closeted Boy Scout who grapples with homophobia at a camp.
• “Heartstopper” by Alice Osman: The series reflects the experiences of a group of mostly LGBTQ+ British teens navigating their way through their first romantic encounters.

The books that were entirely removed from at least one school library over the last year included:

• Mike Curato’s “Flamer”
• Julia Alvarez’s “How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents”
• Hannah Grace’s “Icebreaker”
• A video with the name, “Samhain Explained: The Celtic Origins of Halloween.”

The clearinghouse’s report found that most of the challenges were unsuccessful, with 72% of the challenged items remaining on the shelves.

18% of the books challenged were removed from collections or put into age-restricted sections while the remainder- 10%, remained in the review phase of library processes.