Since last Banned Books Week, book censorship in the United States has expanded in more ways than we can count. Supreme Court decisions have created confusion in classrooms and curricula. Funding that literary organizations rely on has been slashed, impacting future and even existing programming. Military families and academy cadets have seen their sacrifices repaid with censorship. New book ban laws have been passed in state legislatures — though some governors, even in unexpected places, have had the courage to veto these harmful laws. 

In dark times, your bookstores provide hope. When public libraries and schools are under attack, private businesses can, at least in part, fill the gap to maintain access to books representing a wide range of identities, backgrounds, ideologies, and creeds. Bookstores around the country make displays, curate  selections, and host events to raise awareness and consciousness. Many stores facilitate book donations, hold fundraisers, or spread awareness to make sure everyone has access to literature, regardless of income. 

Banned Books Week is not the only time for action, but it does offer a chance for coordinated action. This Banned Books Week, stand with librarians, educators, authors, publishers, and your fellow booksellers to say no to censorship.

You probably already have plans for Banned Books Week in your store. But if you don’t yet, or want to expand your programming, check out some of the options below. We have partnered with our fellow anti-censorship organizations to connect booksellers to collaborators during Banned Books Week. 

Do you know who your local school and library board members are? What do they believe, and what do they stand for? There’s no better time to find out than during Banned Books Week 2025. Authors Against Book Book Bans (AABB) has three ways you can get involved during Banned Books Week:

• Public Event with School or Library Board Members or Candidates: These get-to-know-you events with candidates are a great way to increase awareness and engagement. 

• Letter Writing Party: However you feel about your local school board, a letter writing party can be a great way to increase community engagement and speak up for the right to read.

• Private Meetings with School and Library Board Members: If events like this feel out of reach, consider meeting privately with decision-makers to advocate for the right to read.

AABB has ideas, templates, and scripts you can use to kickstart one of these events in your store.

As an unprecedented wave of book banning is sparked in Texas, Florida, and beyond, librarians under siege join forces as unlikely defenders fighting for intellectual freedom on the front lines of democracy. As tensions escalate, librarians connect the dots from heated school and library board meetings nationwide to lay bare the underpinnings of today’s censorship efforts. Despite facing harassment, threats, and laws aimed at criminalizing their work, these librarians offer a rallying cry for the freedom to read and a chilling cautionary tale.

Their national tour of arthouse cinemas, combining screenings and townhall-style conversations, kicks off on October 3 at the Film Forum in NYC with screenings each day during Banned Books Week. Following its NYC launch, the tour will continue for the rest of 2025 and beyond, visiting Laemmle Theaters in LA and more than 30 cities nationwide, including Houston, Dallas, Austin, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Miami, and more. 

If you’d like to learn about hosting a screening or participating in an arthouse cinema screening, you can fill out their interest form.

Interested in hosting a Banned Books Week Read-In on October 5? Libro.fm will provide:

• Marketing materials
• Event kit with activity ideas to help attendees take action
• A free audiobook for attendees

Silent Book Club chapters and members will be encouraged to team up and attend events!

Sign up to host a Read-In.

(Can’t host the event on October 5? October 6 and 7 work, too! You’ll see a space to mark this on the form.)

The Right to Read Night is an easy-to-host, one-night book club organized by the National Coalition Against Censorship. During Banned Books Week 2025 (October 5–11), free speech defenders from across the country will host local book club discussions about our featured banned book, Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson! Frequently targeted by censors, this deeply moving novel tells the story of an enslaved teenager’s struggle for freedom in the time of the American Revolution.

These community conversations invite us to think about why books like Chains matter, what book banning means for our democracy, and how to fight for the right to read. To learn how to host your own Right to Read Night visit RightToReadNight.com and follow our step-by-step guide to join the fight today. 

This private event kicks off Penguin Random House’s third-annual Banned Wagon Tour, which travels across the country during Banned Books Week, handing out free banned books and resources. This year, it’s visiting Washington, DC and Philadelphia. The Banned Wagon is one piece of Penguin Random House’s ongoing advocacy in the fight against book bans. (They were just named to the TIME100 List for their leadership in this area.)

Resources from Penguin Random House include: an “I Read Banned Books” sticker template that is print-ready and Avery-compatible, making it easy to print in-house for checkout, events, or giveaways, and a Host-Your-Own Banned Books Week Event Guide, featuring two quick-start guides you can tailor for your store, including a Silent Reading Banned Book Club and a Save Our Stories Community event, inspired by Penguin Random House’s own 2025 Banned Books Week activations.

Bookstore partners can display a title from an indie publisher impacted by the chilling effect of book bans as well as a shelf-talker encouraging patrons to buy the book for themselves or for your store to donate directly in your community.

Shout out to Under the Umbrella Bookstore in Salt Lake City, UT, for the display pictured above.

Interested bookstores can submit this form to become a partner.