LA COUNTY — In honor of Banned Books Week (Oct. 1 – 7), LA County Library is officially launching its Books Unbanned digital card for teens ages 13 – 18 throughout the state. The card allows teens to borrow up to five digital titles at a time and is good for one year.
The digital card was developed in response to a June 2023 motion from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, authored by Supervisors Lindsey P. Horvath and Janice Hahn, which directed the Library to expand the availability of library cards to teens statewide in an effort to support young people without access to certain banned books, and to determine how to fund the purchase of additional eBook and audiobook copies of frequently banned titles.
LA County Library has partnered with Brooklyn Public Library and Seattle Public Library to join the Books Unbanned initiative, a response to an increasingly coordinated and effective effort to remove books tackling a wide range of topics from library shelves. Boston Public Library and San Diego Public Library are also joining Books Unbanned. All five library systems will work as crucial partners in defending and expanding the freedom to read by providing free, unrestricted access to their materials outside of their jurisdiction to fight for the rights of teens nationwide to read what they like, discover themselves, and form their own opinions.
The card’s October launch also aligns with LGBT History Month, which is very fitting, as many banned titles feature LGBTQIA+ authors and/or characters, are often written for teen audiences.
LA County Library’s digital Books Unbanned card provides access to the Library’s full eBook and audiobook collection via Libby, by OverDrive, which can be used on any computer or mobile device. Customers can visit LACountyLibrary.org/Books-Unbanned to learn more and sign up for a card.
Funding for the Books Unbanned card and collection is provided by LA County Library Foundation, which is collecting private donations to expand LA County Library’s titles, especially those which are most commonly banned. Anyone interested in donating to the project can do so at LACoLibraryFoundation.org/Donate-Books-Unbanned.