Don't Check Out

Watching The Librarians was just what we needed to renew our motivation.

If you’re feeling worn down, you’re not alone. We’re living in times where every day brings a new unprecedented event, a new depressing development. With everything that’s going on right now, censorship attempts can get missed in the headlines. Last year saw a continued surge in books bans and now publishers are releasing fewer books that could catch the eye of book banners.

It’s easy to feel a bit hopeless, but if you need a little inspiration, The Librarians, directed by Kim A. Snyder, might be what you’re looking for.

Last Saturday, the team behind The Librarians hosted an online screening followed by a freedom to read rally featuring several of the film’s participants. This documentary has been on our watch list for a while but we haven’t been able to catch an in-person screening. With the online option, we gathered some friends and made a watch party out of it.

The film follows the experiences of several librarians across the country who have faced alarming attempts at censorship in their communities. It portrays their journeys to fight for the freedom to read and protect the kids their libraries serve, even at their own detriment. Some lost their jobs for refusing to comply. Others were threatened and no longer feel safe in their communities. One librarian, Amanda Jones, author of That Librarian, shared how she has seen the impact that books can have in helping readers better understand themselves or find belonging. After seeing a number of suicides take place in her community, she said she can’t stand by and allow censorship to take away a potential lifeline for community members anymore.

The film also explores how the push to ban books is a coordinated, nationwide effort. As shown in the film, we see the same books targeted in similar ways across multiple states. It’s not just a coincidence. It’s a well organized, highly funded campaign to gain control over local elected positions and influence what content can or can’t be in the library.

To effectively quell that campaign, we need more people across the country to get involved and speak up in their local communities. Don’t let yourself get checked out. For us, having a watch party for The Librarians was a way to regroup with friends and get ready to dive back in for the year. Seeing the many film participants in action, tirelessly defending the freedom to read, was just the inspiration we needed.

Looking for a little motivation of your own? Here’s the schedule of screenings for The Librarians. You can also catch it on PBS on February 9th. Invite some friends over to watch, open the door to the conversation about censorship, and find ways that you can get involved in your community. Here are a few more suggestions for how you can get involved.

Read and purchase banned books. Publishers put out books they think will sell. Show your support for stories with LGBTQ and diverse characters. (Looking for suggestions? The Librarians highlighted picture books Hair Love and A Day In the Life of Marlon Bundo.) Check books out at your local library and purchase them when you can.

Talk to your friends and family. The argument against books is full of buzzwords designed to create an emotional response. Make sure you’re talking to others about the freedom to read so they’re not falling for the noise.

Attend local school board meetings. As the film showed, local school boards are one of the primary targets. Get to know who your Trustees are, where they stand, and get involved even before election time. You may very well find that book banners are closer to home than you think.