The Librarians
Librarians across the U.S. examine how the review of library materials is shaping public book collections and impacting both themselves and their communities.
In 2021, a Texas state representative released a list of books to be removed from public schools, sparking a wide-scale review process of available books across the country. In response, a national movement of librarians facing job loss, criminalization, and harassment began organizing to resist legislative and cultural efforts that included restricting content centering LGBTQIA+ or race-related themes.
In Granbury, Texas, community tensions rise when 130 books are challenged under the justification they will cause “discomfort, guilt, or anguish.” A nonbinary student speaks on the importance of representation, and an opposing local resident advocates for her pastor to vet school materials as her estranged son, banished after coming out, returns to confront the district.
The film traverses small-town USA, tracing the shared experience of librarians on the frontlines, as well as parents. One librarian endures death threats in the parish where she lost 12 students to suicide; a military veteran is fired for refusing to remove books; another testifies at the state capital while under attack; a devout Catholic defends the availability of materials on gender identity; and one speaks anonymously under threat of arrest for alleged distribution of obscene materials. Through archival footage, The Librarians juxtaposes this modern-day battle with moments in history.
As school boards and legislatures escalate efforts, these librarians and citizens mobilize, revealing the broader ideological battle shaping American public life.