UChicago Library Names First Banned Books Scholar
Dulcey Hunter will lead a new initiative focused on historically banned and challenged books at the University of Chicago Library.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Books
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The University of Chicago Library has appointed Dulcey Hunter as its first banned books scholar. Hunter, a former English language arts educator, will host a monthly Instagram video series, "Banned and Brilliant," recommending historically banned books.
Why it matters
Book challenges and bans have expanded across the country, and Illinois now ties library grant funding to adoption of the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights. The appointment places a dedicated scholar within the university's Banned Books Initiative, which collects challenged titles for digital access and interlibrary loan.
Chicago and the Chicago Public Library established Book Sanctuaries across 77 community areas and 81 library branches in 2022. Illinois's 2023 law allows the secretary of state's office to withhold grants from libraries that do not adopt the Library Bill of Rights.
The players
University of Chicago Library
The library of the University of Chicago, which launched its Banned Books Initiative in 2023 to collect and digitize challenged books.
Dulcey Hunter
A former English language arts educator with more than two decades of teaching experience in Florida, now serving as the library's first banned books scholar.
The details
Hunter taught middle and high school English language arts students in Florida for more than two decades. She will spend the next academic year building a pedagogy framework on censorship of narratives depicting difficult life experiences, and the series launched last month with Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye."
Timeline
2022: Chicago establishes Book Sanctuaries across 77 community areas.
2023: Illinois enacts law tying library grants to Library Bill of Rights adoption.
2023: The University of Chicago Library launches its Banned Books Initiative.
October 2026: The "Banned and Brilliant" series launches with Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye."
Next academic year: Hunter builds her pedagogy framework on censorship of difficult narratives.
Legal Context
The appointment follows Illinois's 2023 law allowing the secretary of state's office to withhold grant funding from libraries that do not adopt the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights. It places the university's banned books work within the state's broader debate over how libraries handle challenged titles.
Readers can access challenged titles through the University of Chicago Library's Banned Books Initiative, which offers digital formats and interlibrary loan. Monthly recommendations from the "Banned and Brilliant" series on Instagram point readers toward historically banned books.
The takeaway
Access to banned books depends increasingly on library programs, digital formats, and interlibrary loan rather than a single shelf. Readers seeking challenged titles can start with the Banned Books Initiative's digital collection.
What happens next
Hunter is expected to spend the next academic year building her pedagogy framework on censorship of narratives depicting difficult life experiences.
Further reading
Explore more on Books to see how banned and challenged titles are shaping library collections in Chicago.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Chicago Tribune.
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