Opinion: The Overwhelming Cost of Book Banning | Concord Monitor
A Utah school district reported that responding to 199 challenges it received required 10,000 hours of staff time and cost more than $100,000. In Texas, documents show that more than 16 employees spent over 225 hours at a cost of $30,000 on a single book challenge at the Spring Branch ISD.

Iowa Book Ban Prompts Disclaimers on Little Free Library Exchanges | ABC9
State restrictions on books that can be made available to Iowa students have prompted some Des Moines–area school districts to post disclaimers on Little Free Libraries.

Bans on Books Like Out of Darkness Target Authors of Color | NPR
Author Ashley Hope Pérez tells NPR how sexual content is used as a scapegoat to target books addressing race, gender, and other identity-based topics.

Novel Pulled from South Carolina School Libraries as Committee Reviews Appropriateness | The Post and Courier
The Lexington-Richland (SC) Five School District pulled Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Mist and Fury from high school libraries after it received a challenge. A district review committee will decide whether to put the young adult fantasy novel back on library shelves.

John Green Urges Communities to Stand Against Censorship in Libraries, Schools | WFYI
Indianapolis author John Green said it’s not the responsibility of a public library to make sure no one is offended by the material on its shelves. The best-selling storyteller spoke at the Indianapolis Central Library as part of an event kicking off Banned Books Week.

A Texas Public Library Marks Banned Book Week with New “Book Sanctuary” Status | Houston Public Media
Harris County (TX) Commissioners Court passed a resolution making Harris County Public Library a "book sanctuary" system that combats censorship. Texas itself has the most banned books of any state in the country, with over 800 banned books across 22 school districts. "Our largest school district, HISD, has turned libraries in over 50 schools into ‘discipline centers,' which led to the displacement of many librarians," said Harris County commissioner Rodney Ellis. "We need to do as much as we can to protect and promote libraries and librarians."

Sheriff Tries to Limit Access to "Inappropriate Books" in Public Libraries | KREM2
The Kootenai (ID) County sheriff said community members have brought hundreds of books they deem inappropriate for sexual or obscene content to his attention.

Brooklyn Public Library Announces Expansion of Books Unbanned Program | BK Reader
For Banned Books Week, the library has launched a podcast as well as a webpage for teens to share past experiences with censorship.

Where the Supreme Court Stands on Banning Books | The Conversation
An analysis of the 1982 Supreme Court case Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District v. Pico and what it means to current book challenges.

School Culture Wars Push Students to Form Banned Book Clubs, Anti-Censorship Groups | ABC News
Student-led banned book clubs and anti-censorship groups have been popping up in states where a conservative-led movement to remove certain books or lessons has led to boisterous board meetings, protests, and more. The students behind these groups say they have long been left out of the conversation, despite being the most impacted by such restrictions.