KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Public Library (KCPL) and the San Francisco Public Library are teaming up for the "Tackle Censorship" campaign and placing a friendly wager on Super Bowl LVIII, according to a KCPL press release.
While the two cities are preparing for the year's biggest football battle, their libraries continue to battle book censorship.
"Attempted book bans continue to rise in the United States; in 2022, the American Library Association (ALA) recorded 1,269 attempts, the highest number in 20 years. Public libraries accounted for 48% of challenges," the KCPL release said.
To bring attention to book bans, the two libraries have placed a friendly wager on Sunday's super showdown as part of the "Tackle Censorship" campaign that began between KCPL and Free Library of Philadelphia during the 2023 Super Bowl, per the press release.
A library representative from the city that loses the Super Bowl will dress in the winning team's gear and read a banned book in a post on social media.
"Kansas City is thrilled to be making another Super Bowl appearance, but book banning remains as serious a concern as it was last year," said Carrie Coogan, deputy director for public affairs and community engagement at KCPL, in a statement. "We are excited to come together with the San Francisco Public Library to highlight this critical issue, even if we hope they are on the losing side of our bet. And with a coach whose last name shows the importance of Reid-ing, how could we lose?"
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