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There are a lot of stereotypes about librarians that make them the butt of the joke – and we see it a lot in film and TV. For me, I immediately think of Megan Mullally’s character Tammy 2, Ron Swanson’s nymphomaniac ex-wife sociopath in Parks and Recreation. (BTW: Ron is played by Mullaly’s real-life husband, Nick Offerman.)
Kim Snyder’s The Librarians is a new documentary making the rounds that subverts what was once the butt of a joke and transforms them into national heroes on the front lines fighting for our freedom of speech and access to information.
The Librarians, which premiered at Sundance earlier this year, spotlights a roster of librarians in Texas, Florida, and other states as book bans begin to have a chokehold on the country, infringing on the academic liberties of their students.
After a Texas House Representative issued what is known as “The Krause List” of 850 books that were removed from school libraries, librarians are put at the epicenter of a conservative movement that is eroding democracy and intellectual freedom.
Carolyn Foote, Suzette Baker, and Amanda Jones are our sherpas in the doc, taking us on a journey with them as they face cruel attacks, death threats, and criminal accusations from conservatives – just for trying protect harmless and enriching book titles like “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi and George M. Johnson’s “All Boys Aren’t Blue”. In short, these Texas schools were blatantly targeting literature that includes anything with progressive storytelling as well as anything multicultural or from the LGBTQ community.
The Librarians hits hard when it feels as though the librarians featured are pinned up against a wall and fighting a difficult – and seemingly lonely battle. Snyder’s documentary graciously gives a very helpful assist.
The first time I met director Kim Snyder was at Sundance 2020 when I interviewed her in the Deadline studio. She was there with what would become her Peabody Award-winning gun violence documentary Newton, and she was joined in the studio by Parkland survivors Emma Gonzalez, David Hogg, Jackie Corin, Bria Smith, Samantha Fuentes, and Alex King.
Those kids intimidated me.
Nonetheless, Snyder has always been an advocate for gun control and has done documentaries on the subject. With Newton, there was a huge focus on the perspective of the youth and the impact it had on their lives. And we see something very similar and stronger than ever in The Librarians.
The Librarians is endearingly confident as it is quietly urgent. Unlike other civic-minded docs, it does not force-feed you advocacy, nor does it dwell on the doom and gloom of the current socio-political climate. Although it tells difficult truths about people in this world, it isn’t an hour and a half of panic-induced rage bait. It’s an eye-opening call to action based on inspiration, not fear.
As the film continues to play across the globe, it has an impact on the smaller regions with rural libraries, where the Librarians team helps facilitate town hall conversations in as many smaller regions as possible and in harder-to-reach rural libraries.
The release of the film comes at a time when a blue wave isn’t just on a national level, but also on the hyperlocal level – specifically in the battleground of Texas, where The Librarians is largely set.
Most recently, the Cypress‑Fairbanks Independent School District (CFISD) in Houston held its board election, and it shifted from a conservative majority to a “pro-book” progressive majority after a high voter turnout. The outgoing conservative-led board was pushing policies that would ban books about climate change and vaccines. They were also looking to adopt a policy that required staff to out trans students to parents.
More than that, The Librarians screened two days before polls closed in Granbury, Texas, which is ground zero for all the book-banning action – specifically from one outspoken, uber-conservative Monica Brown, who is heavily featured in the doc.
Brown is one of those staunch advocates for banning books, and all things LGBTQ are an abomination! But guess what? She has a gay son. His name is Weston Brown, and she disowned him. He is also featured in the documentary – and if you want to find out more, watch the documentary!
Nonetheless, Monica Brown ran for the Granbury Independent School District school board, which would help her anti-everything agenda.
But alas, Miss Brown lost. I guess we’ll just have to hear more of her nasally screeching about anti-wokeness.
The Librarians is intentional documentary filmmaking where the advocacy spills off the screen and into a plan of action. Snyder and the filmmaking team are actively walking the walk and talking the talk. It’s not aggressively unpacking a socio-political issue with a pat-myself-on-the-back sense of advocacy. The Librarians is a guide for fighting to defend our First Amendment Rights.
Click here for more information about The Librarians and where you can watch it!
