Please excuse cross postings: AASL, ALA, IFRT, and RMRT
Dear Colleagues,
The Librarians film is getting a great deal of play around the country. I hope it has come to your city, town, or airwaves. The vast majority of the film focuses on how book banning has impacted the work of school librarians and has tested their courage and integrity with regard to protecting students' First Amendment rights.
There have been two showings in Tucson, Arizona – one at the arthouse theater and one sponsored by the local PBS/npr affiliate. I was unaware of the panelists for the Q&A before arriving at the theater and didn't know about the panelists lined up for the PBS/npr showing until the flyer was circulating in the community.
In both cases, school librarians were not represented on the panels. At the theater showing, I was able to provide answers as an audience member to others' questions about the state of school librarianship in Tucson. The PBS/npr showing did not include a Q&A. (I had lobbied AzPM and provided them with the names and contact info for three willing high school librarian panelists. They said it was, too late.)
This is my request to the librarian community. If and when you become aware of a showing of The Librarians film in your community, I encourage you to contact the sponsoring organization and help ensure that at least one practicing school librarian is represented on the panel.
As a follow-up to the recent AzPM showing in Tucson, I submitted this op-ed to the Arizona Daily Star, published 2/5/26: "Librarians are undaunted warriors for the freedom to read."
https://tucson.com/opinion/column/article_a6d4d383-e029-4a58-b201-08a26d4f4357.html
Thank you for your advocacy for intellectual freedom and for the school librarians in your community.
Sincerely,
Judi Moreillon, RMRT Advocacy Committee Member
------------------------------
Judi Moreillon, M.L.S., Ph.D.
Literacies and Libraries Author and Consultant
She/Her/Hers
info@storytrail.comhttp://storytrail.com------------------------------