As radical right book bans have been introduced across the country, librarians have found themselves on the front lines of a bitter culture war with their personal reputations and safety at risk.
In normal times, librarians have been seen as dedicated public servants who are protectors the written word — fierce defenders of the freedom of thought and the conservators of knowledge.
However, in today’s hyperpartisan world — when what one believes to be true is more salient than what is actually true — librarians are being labeled as groomers and pedophiles on social media. They are being called out by local politicians and reported to law enforcement officials for providing allegedly unsavory books to young innocent readers.
Some librarians have quit after being harassed online and in person. Others have been fired for refusing to remove “woke” blacklisted books from circulation.
And now libraries themselves are under siege. On Tuesday, Republicans who control the Missouri House passed a budget that defunds public libraries from state money.
The lawmakers were angered that the Missouri Association of School Librarians and the Missouri Library Association had the temerity to challenge a law Missouri lawmakers passed last year removing certain material deemed too sexually explicit from school libraries.
Librarians are taught to curate well-rounded collections that represent a range of viewpoints, especially on contentious topics.
The American Library Association tracked 1,597 books that were challenged in 2021, the highest number since the organization began tracking bans 20 years ago.
Llano County's commissioners are weighing a decision to shut down its public library system rather than comply with a federal judge’s ruling to return to circulation a dozen books which had been banned.
The Llano County Commissioners have scheduled for Thursday a special meeting in which the first item on the agenda is whether to "continue or cease operations" at the library.
The books were described as “porn” by the vice chairman of the Llano County Library Advisory Board. But one forbidden book is Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson, which is a New York Times #1 bestseller and an Oprah’s Book Club pick. Also banned in Llano is They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.
The children’s books which are banned include three books from Dawn McMillan’s I Need a New Butt! series which are silly tomes about farting. Other officially expelled titles include Larry the Farting Leprechaun, Gary the Goose and His Gas on the Loose, Freddie the Farting Snowman and Harvey the Heart Has Too Many Farts.
What can be done to protect public libraries during this siege?
How is this attack on public libraries similar to historic events like during the Red Scare and the 1930’s rise of fascism in Europe?
Guest:
Shirley Robinson: the Executive Director for the Texas Library Association
"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255, email thesource@tpr.org or tweet@TPRSource.
*This interview will be recorded on Wednesday April 12.
