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Librarians are the nicest people. Moms for Liberty is a hate group.
No you're wrong it's a Nazi group
Literal Hitler lovers. We should treat them the same way we treated.
the Nazis during WWII
So sit silently while they gain popularity and power until they're so big we need a global conflict to figure our shit out?
“The dumbing down of America is evident in the slow decay of substantive content, a kind of celebration of ignorance.”
Carl Sagan
thanks, sagan ;) what a cool guy
At a board meeting in October, one angry resident claimed her personal survey of the teen section revealed 60% of the books were “witchcraft.” Another said Gillette’s library had become an “indoctrination center.”
No one should listen to these lunatics. Sadly, they make it imperative that we pay very. Lose attention.
Reposting my comment from a while ago, with some edits:
The library I work at has had Moms for Liberty attend several meetings demanding we withdraw books that are against their beliefs, no specific titles, just a general demand. This would include anything on LGBTQ+, children’s books with rainbows, our Banned Books display, and anything promoting voting and civics education. More recently, they want us to stop holding some events, including adult focused events about race relations in the Midwest, and we should no longer host any programs funded by State and Federal grants. Lastly, they have said we need to stop allowing the staff from joining ALA or the state library association.
If any of these restrictions or censorship upsets you at all, please attend a library board meeting and voice your support for the library. Some even let you write in. Groups like MFL make it a point to attend a lot of the meetings in hopes to get their way, and it’s working.
Similarly, I attend my local govt meetings each month to stay informed on this kind of stuff TBH. Can't have these groups stunting communities and local public services to align with their twisted beliefs
As a side note... It is kinda depressing how my local community of 11k people only have at most 2 civillians besides myself attending the meetings. Do people really not care about where they live, and the local public services? The bus service here has almost been scrapped TWICE as one example, and right now a neighboring local govt is helping to pay for it for now. It won't last for long, but you can be sure as heck people will complain when they've got to drive or uber into an already traffic clogged city due to the absence of public transit.
Not enough people attend to make a case to keep services and things in a sane condition, compared to organised twisted groups who make convincing cases for the wrong things.
I think its often less about not caring, and more not having the energy, or not believing it would do any good.
This is definitely part of it. Meetings are usually at 5pm but I have seen some start at 7pm and go on for hours, looking at you budget hearings. These are important; however, the information is usually in a giant PDF or print only. I think the other part of the equation is how the municipality communicates and engages with its population.
As a librarian, I want to help with organizing the information and make it available in different formats, but it takes a lot of buy in from elected officials and other departments. Not saying that’s how all local governments work, it’s just my experience with a couple.
On a side note, Data Governance and Analytics now falls under my department. This thread just gave a goal for next year, just got to figure out how to word it.
The library I work at has had Moms for Liberty attend several meetings (…) they want us to stop holding some events, including adult focused events about race relations in the Midwest
Uh, sorry, what the FUCK? They can’t be more obvious than this.
Idk who told conservatives about libraries but if we had just kept quiet about them they never would have even realized they still existed.
Now they are complaining about libraries having books in them. They won't be happy until they are empty concrete rooms. Such a pitiful shame they can't see the objective value of libraries.
As an outsider I'm always amazed at that "land of the free" that is insistent on censoring stuff, and "home of the brave" that will run through the mud someone standing for freedom and having principles.
Once you realize that there are actually two Americas occupying the same geographic space, then everything makes more sense.
They are actually banning books in the US. Guys. I think you have a problem
Not like they were going to read them anyway.
I dont understand, like how is the government compelled to break its own laws. Isnt library under free speech. I dont understand how such a failure of our institutions was able to happen.
It’s been a long and protracted fight. The Know Your Enemy podcast is a good place to revisit historical conservatism.
Whenever I see people trying to remove books about minorities conservatives hate, I check the catalogue of the library in question.
Sure is funny how often there's a copy of Mein Kampf on the shelves that no conservative ever has any problem with.
Librarians are heroes, so of course the GOP treats them like dirt.
I remember reading a gay coming-of-age book about a young man struggling to find it who he was, and communicate that to his traditional father.
I'm not even LGBTQ+, but that book was incredible, and I learned a lot from it...
Conservatives have chosen a really sustainable political path with these culture wars: https://www.axios.com/2022/02/17/lgbtq-generation-z-gallup
What's really fucking aggravating is that conservatives will see the increasing percentages of LGBTQ individuals and think children have been indoctrinated, not the reality that more people are finally comfortable being themselves without the vitriol against them and the consequences of coming out.
This sucks. I have a spot on my shelf reserved for banned books. Whenever I used to see a new banned book pop up in the news, I’d go grab a copy. It happens so often now I can’t keep up anymore. I hope the librarian lands on their feet maybe moves to an area that appreciates the amazing service they’re providing.
Quick, save the kids ! They cannot know how to make babies ! it's not, uh... natural ! or something
Fascist USA