THE LIBRARIANS – Review by Loren King
Oscar nominated last year for her documentary short Death by Numbers, director Kim A. Snyder’s latest is the timely and powerhouse expose The Librarians which examines the well-funded, far reaching political effort to ban books in the United States.
As she did with her feature documentaries Newtown (2016) and Us Kids (2020), Snyder takes a community-based approach to an explosive national issue, telling this urgent story through the experiences of several librarians, all women, who are on the front lines of the censorship battle. There’s Amanda Jones, who stood up against book-banning in Louisiana libraries and founded the Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship in 2022. She faced significant harassment as a result which she documented in her book, That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America.
Also profiled is Suzette Baker, a Texas librarian who was fired after refusing to remove books from the school library. From small towns in Texas and Louisiana to cities in New Jersey, the coordinated playbook is the same as parents, school board or library board members cite as “pornographic” LGBTQ+ themed books or those that deal with race and racism. When librarians, traditionally a respected part of any school system or community, try to counter these attacks, they’re labeled “pedophiles” or “groomers.” The film traces the rise of the right-wing activist group Moms for Liberty, which is often behind the bans, and the dark money that is inevitably fueling their grassroots efforts such as the anti-LGBTQ Christian billionaire funding extremist candidates in Texas.
It’s disturbing to say the least to watch Moms for Liberty members, male and female, routinely attack librarians as “pedophiles” in public meetings or online while convicted or credibly accused sexual abusers at the highest levels of government walk free. The hypocrisy is glaring and chilling. But The Librarians isn’t just about exposing injustice; it’s also about the courage of the librarians who stand up for young people who deserve access to books and a clarion call for anyone who cares about free speech and public education.
