Librarian who lost job after banned books presentation

Help our friend and fellow Library and Information Science graduate student who was asked to leave her school library job, due to a banned books presentation.

K. was a library aide for a public school district in a semi-rural area, dividing her time between the middle school and high school libraries. The only librarian between two schools, she found collaborations with teachers engaging. Her students anticipated their time with K., excited by books and materials outside the classroom.

A former teacher, K. went back to school to become a librarian. Most librarians have master’s degrees, which can be expensive.

Though K. was making much less money in her new role, she found the joys of connecting people with materials much more meaningful. She loved connecting students to specific materials and providing access to a wide array of voices.

This year, K. planned a presentation of challenged materials for Banned Books Week. Teachers, parents, and children all enjoyed the presentation, which featured American Library Association (ALA) approved content. (Since 1982, ALA has run Banned Books Weeks in support of the freedom to read.)

With such positive experiences from the students, teachers, and parents alike, K. invited the middle school principal to the last day of the presentation. The principal was not happy.

Despite sharing ALA-approved materials of photos and short descriptions of historic banned books, the principal believed K. was sharing “sexually explicit content” to minors. This was when K. was asked to leave – on the threat she would never be able to work in middle school libraries in her state again.

She has found alternate, non-library work to try to pay for library school for now.

Librarians help other librarians. We stand with her. K. was promoting intellectual freedom, and she was censored, just by doing her job. This is a social justice issue, but it’s also personal. This is our fellow library student.

We are raising $60,000 to not only help K. finish library school strong but to mitigate the harm, pain, and isolation this has caused.

Let’s show K. that she is not alone (not unlike a lesson from a very dear book.)

Your support makes a difference! Not only will you support K. as she finishes the last remaining months of the library degree, but your contribution also advocates for access and justice!

Thank you for your support.