Arlington Declared Official 'Book Sanctuary' As Book Banning Surges

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County has been declared an official “book sanctuary” as part of the county’s commitment to protecting banned and challenged books and the right of people to read books they choose without fear of suppression.

A resolution unanimously adopted by the Arlington County Board reaffirmed Arlington Public Library’s commitment to giving a voice to the underrepresented.

“This year’s Banned Books Week comes with great significance due to the increased rise in books being banned in the United States as well as in the state of Virginia,” Arlington Public Library Director Diane Kresh said.

Banned Books Week, which runs from Oct. 1 to Oct. 7, was established in 1982 by the late Judith Krug, then director of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom, in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries.

In 2022, the highest number of book bans was attempted in the U.S. since the ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago. The number of reported book challenges in 2022 nearly doubled the 729 book challenges reported in 2021.

ALA encourages libraries across the country to participate in Banned Books Week: “Let Freedom Read!” to promote free and open access to ideas and information and to defend each person's right to read under the First Amendment.

The “book sanctuary” resolution, introduced by Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey, declares “Arlington County libraries as book sanctuaries, committed to protecting banned and challenged books and the right of the residents of Arlington to read the books they choose without fear of suppression.”

At the Sept. 26 board meeting where the resolution passed, Dorsey thanked library staff in attendance for helping make Arlington a “community that can resist in this way.”

“Know we always have your backs, so never fail to let us know how we can be of help,” Dorsey said.

Arlington Public Library provided a list of ways for residents to celebrate Banned Books Week and the Freedom to Read.

• Commit to reading at least one challenged book.
• Stream the video recording of the recent Arlington Reads author event with Art Spiegelman (available until Oct. 21) on the Arlington Public Library’s YouTube page.
• Share the Banned Books Week and Book Sanctuary reels on the Library’s Instagram channel.
• Join Arlington Public Library for a Banned Books Trivia Night on Oct. 5 at Quincy Hall Pints & Pizza.
• Read one of the books that have been recently banned or challenged in Virginia.

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