Jones says it started after she spoke out at a library board meeting against censorship and 'book policing.' Without mentioning any specific book, Jones said that challenges 'often done with the best intentions,' tend to target the Black and LGBTQ communities. 'I had an actual death threat,' says Livingston Parish school librarian Amanda Jones, her voice breaking as she recalls one particular post: 'We know where you work + live.u have a LARGE target on ur back. They're being shouted down by parents, vilified on billboards, reported to the police, and trolled online, leaving many fearing for their safety. No longer are just books under fire, but also the library administrators, teachers and long-beloved librarians who are defending them. It's something of a 'new normal' here - as it is around the nation. 'So I'm going to talk about what I'm going to talk about.' The activist snapped back that he never actually used the word 'groomer,' but made clear that he sees her as fair game. 'Look, just stop posting about me on Facebook,' she demanded. Tensions spilled over after the meeting when one board member confronted a conservative activist and implored him to stop insinuating online that she was a groomer.Ībdul Aziz for NPR A sign on a door at the Denham Springs-Walker Branch library in Livingston Parish announces the elimination of Sunday hours due to staff shortages. 'Just leave it on the shelf,' shouted one. Others shot back that it was hardly the same thing, and vehemently objected to a policy they say would effectively empower one person to ban a book from the entire community. Meetings have been laced with insults, interruptions and the kind of profanity that would probably get you kicked out of the library.Īt the most recent meeting in July, it wasn't quite as heated as the 100° temperatures outside, but tempers flared over plans to immediately remove challenged books under review from library shelves- even if that takes months, or more.īoard member Larry Davis likened it to removing a teacher accused of sexual harassment until an investigation is complete. It's been a year since the start of what one librarian here calls 'The Troubles.' That's when once-boring meetings of the Livingston Parish Library Board of Control started devolving into bitter brawls over books that some consider to be too sexual and harmful to kids. Be advised that this story contains references to sex acts involving children, and suicide.

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