Book bans are not going away anytime soon. One of the ways that several major U.S. libraries have elected to push back is to make many, if not all, of the books being targeted across the country available to as many people as possible. This is, of course, not a solution to the underlying problem, and every library on this list would wholeheartedly agree. These are bandaids. 

But like bandaids, they have value. This is especially true for the people most hurt and impacted by book bans: those under the age of 18 who, through no fault of their own, have lost access to a wide swath of books written with them in mind and for them to connect.

This list is as comprehensive a roundup as possible of all the U.S. public libraries offering access to banned books. It includes the name of the library, the people who are being granted access to the collections, materials within the collections, as well as any other pertinent or relevant information. 

The list will be updated as more libraries engage in this kind of access activism. Note that many of these programs operate under the banner of “Books Unbanned.” Though they will be quite similar because laws regarding libraries differ state by state and because every library collection differs from another, the breadth of access and catalogs differs in each variation of the program. Folks who qualify may apply for cards at each of the Books Unbound programs—you’re not limited to just one.

You can read more in an article by Kelly Jensen published in the bookriot web site at: https://bookriot.com/public-libraries-offering-free-access-to-banned-books/