TOLEDO — Efforts to ban books in schools and libraries are becoming more common nationwide, and a University of Toledo professor says the trend is threatening students’ access to stories and perspectives that help them understand the world.
The warning came during a Thursday talk at the university, where the professor discussed the growing push to remove titles from school and library shelves. Book challenges have surged in recent years as debates over curriculum content and library collections intensify in communities across the country, including in Ohio.
Supporters of removing certain titles argue that schools and libraries should not provide materials they consider age-inappropriate. Critics, including librarians and free-expression advocates, counter that banning books narrows what students can read, learn and question — particularly works that reflect diverse experiences and viewpoints.
Ohio has not been exempt from the national trend. Districts and libraries across the state have faced challenges to books in recent years, sometimes drawing packed public meetings and sharp divisions between parents, educators and administrators.
The UT professor said the rising number of bans threatens more than individual titles. When books disappear from shelves, students lose access to stories that can build empathy, spark curiosity and broaden their understanding of people whose lives differ from their own. Educators say keeping shelves open — while giving families choices about their own children’s reading — remains the best way to serve every student.