‘The Librarians’ by Kim A. Snyder

Kim A. Snyder, filmmaker and producer, after a showing of her documentary The Librarians during SIFF 2025 in Seattle, Washington.Alley Rutzel - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

Censorship has existed for as long as the written word. Throughout history, there have been numerous attempts to ban books because authorities considered the content too controversial, indecent, or threatening to their beliefs. During the 1850s, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s landmark novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin was banned by slaveholders in the South for its anti-slavery message.[1] In May 1933, more than twenty university towns in Nazi Germany organized mass burning of books deemed “un-German,” including books written by Jewish authors, condemning war, and promoting pacifism and various other leftist ideologies.[2] Judy Blume’s 1970 novel Are You There, God? It’s Me Margaret, beloved by millions, was the subject of attempted bans due to its themes of sexuality and puberty.[3]

This phenomenon doesn’t seem to be dwindling. In fact, in 2023 the American Library Association reported that the number of attempted book bans that year increased by a shocking sixty-five percent from 2022.[4]

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Kim A. Snyder’s latest feature documentary The Librarians is an exploration of the rise of book banning across school districts in Texas, Florida, and many other red states. The film not only highlights the harm caused by censorship but champions the librarians and media strategists (many of which have been fired for pushing back against the right-wing regime) fighting for freedom of information.

In 2021, Republican politician and Texas State Representative Matt Krause compiled a list of 850 books that were to be removed from libraries in public school districts, selected because they “might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex.”[5] In other words, the list is compiled almost exclusively of books about LGBTQ+ issues, race, and sex education. The list sparked debate in the community, with political groups such as Moms for Liberty joining the call to have the content removed from school district libraries. In the documentary, former Granbury School Board Member Chris Tackett notes that prior to the Krause list, there had not been a single request from a parent to review the books.

The librarians at the heart of Snyder’s documentary are the true heroes of the story. Facing extreme vitriol and threats of violence, they continue to fight for the children in their community’s right to access a diverse range of information and perspectives, so that they might feel less alone.

The Librarians premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2025 and released on streaming platforms in October the same year. The film was awarded second place in the Audience Choice, Documentary category at the Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival in 2025.

About Kim A. Snyder

Kim Snyder is an Academy Award-nominated and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker, writer, and producer. Her directorial debut I Remember Me (2000), was an award-winning feature length documentary detailing how chronic fatigue syndrome impacts those affected.

Snyder uses film to spotlight issues of social justice, including homelessness, refugees, and gun violence. Through her work, Snyder consistently calls for peace and justice and champions those working to better our world.

[1] Blakemore, Erin. The history of book bans—and their changing targets—in the U.S. [Online] Available https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/history-of-book-bans-in-the-united-states. 2024.

[2] https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/book-burning

[3] Moore, Stella. Books that were banned and the reasons why [Online] Available https://www.panmacmillan.com/blogs/general/banned-books-reasons-why-usa-uk. 2025.

[4] Blakemore, 2024.

[5] Chappell, Bill. A Texas lawmaker is targeting 850 books that he says could make students feel uneasy [Online] Available https://www.npr.org/2021/10/28/1050013664/texas-lawmaker-matt-krause-launches-inquiry-into-850-books. 2021.