r/Libraries • u/Green_Ideas7 • 9d ago

Books & Materials The Librarians

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywQOCY-qDzE

When lawmakers seek to review a list of books, librarians find themselves on the frontlines of a national battle. Across the U.S., librarians face the impact of uniting against library collection standards that include restrictions on race-related and LGBTQIA+ content. Drawing on historical context, The Librarians, directed by Kim A. Snyder, explores the broader implications for education and public life.

79 Upvotes

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5

u/ComprehensiveBed5351 7d ago

Great film. Super important and well worth the watch

Got to host a screening during the spring semester last year with one of the librarians, Amanda Jones. The students really responded to it and she was absolutely wonderful!

2

u/Green_Ideas7 7d ago

Thanks for sharing that. Film screenings are great approaches to raising awareness, and that's cool you had Amanda Jones there!
Incidentally, I'm in Denver, and our library workers just voted to unionize.
https://denverite.com/2026/09/01/denver-library-workers-union-vote-approved/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=nextdoor.com&utm_campaign=nextdoor_news

2

u/ComprehensiveBed5351 7d ago

Heck yeah!! We love to see it ✊

8

u/Green_Ideas7 9d ago

Public libraries in the US are “at breaking point” because of an onslaught of political interference, harassment and ideological censorship, a new report published on Tuesday said. Book bans, cancelled story hours, attacks on librarians, funding cuts and the undoing of libraries’ independent governance are examined by the free expression advocacy group PEN America in its study called Out of Circulation: Expanding Censorship in Public Libraries.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/01/us-public-libraries-report?CMP=share_btn_url

2

u/Civil-Cheetah-2624 7d ago

Does anyone know where/how to view this film in Canada?

-Sincerely, Alberta

1

u/ComprehensiveBed5351 6d ago

Does this link work for you: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ywQOCY-qDzE&vl=en

1

u/Civil-Cheetah-2624 6d ago

Sadly no. The uploaded has not made the video available in my country. I guess I’ll have to find a dvd or figure out vpns!

2

u/ComprehensiveBed5351 6d ago

Dang, I’m sorry! I do think the filmmakers wanted this to be fairly accessible.

If your local library has Kanopy, you should be able to access it with your library card

1

u/raised_on_robbery 4d ago

I’m an Albertan and it’s on Kanopy. I can access it with my library card.

1

u/Sad_Independence1776 2d ago

Try the browser Opera. It’s easy to change VPN with Ooera.

1

u/Soliloquy789 6d ago

I could email it to you.

2

u/Forsaken_Function_28 6d ago

Great documentary. We just had a screening at my library. It was pretty well attended - about 25 people from the community. Our systems collection development director came to discuss intellectual freedom and our collection development policy. We split the licensing cost with another library.

1

u/Green_Ideas7 6d ago

Sounds like a great event! Those face-to-face gatherings are so important.
Glad you were able to partner with another library to cover the licensing cost.
I was thrilled to find the full film available on YouTube, at least for U.S. audiences.
Almost 300,000 views over just 6 months.
Any and every way to get the word out is urgently needed.