# 2026-01-14 - That Librarian by Amanda Jones
## The Fight Against Book Banning In America
I found this book on the reading list for a book club. I checked it
out from my local library. Such a riveting read! The author's
experience brings to mind another book where Internet trolls
ruthlessly engage in death threats and doxxing:
DIR Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener
Toward the end of That Librarian are some good tips for online
privacy and safety, which i have included in this post.
It is easy for me to feel pessimistic about fighting book bans. I
have read that literacy is at an all-time low in the United States
since it was first tracked at a national level in 1870. In 1870 the
total illiteracy rate was 20%[1]. In 2024, it was 21%[2]. What good
is the right to read if you're unable to read, Mister Anderson[3]?
HTML [1]
HTML [2]
HTML [3]
See also:
HTML Gen Z Arriving At College Unable To Read
> And despite Gen Z's shift away from reading, the habit remains
> popular among the ultra-wealthy. A JPMorgan survey of more than
> 100 billionaires released last month found that reading ranks as
> the top habit that elite achievers have in common.
HTML From: https://fortune.com/2026/01/09/gen-z-college-students-struggling-to-read-professors-forced-to-rethink-standards-warn-of-anxiety-lack-of-workplace-prepardness/
* * *
I look forward to watching The Librarians next month.
TEXT The Librarians (2025 film)
p.s. Amanda Jones won her defamation court case late in 2025.
HTML Ryan Thames's apology for defaming Amanda Jones
What follows are excerpts from the book.
# Chapter 1: Liars and Buzzards and Trolls, Oh My
> Amanda, you are indoctrinating our children with perversion +
> pedophilia grooming. Your evil agenda is getting print + national
> coverage. Congrats. Continue with your LGBT agenda on our
> children cause we gonna put ur fat evil commie PEDO azz in the dirt
> very soon bitch. You can't hide. We know where you work + live...
> you have a LARGE target on your back. Click, click... see you
> soon...
>
> --Death threat received on August 14, 2022
I am a middle school librarian in a small town called Watson in the
southern Louisiana parish of Livingston. I have lived there all my
life and have never thought of leaving. I bought the house next to
my childhood home and am lucky to have my parents as my closest
neighbors.
My huge crime was speaking out against censorship and book banning at
my local public library board meeting on Tuesday, July 19th, 2022.
On the night I spoke up at the library meeting, I was one of almost
thirty speakers who registered their concerns about possible
censorship and book banning. The meeting was held at Livingston
Public Library, not my middle school library. I went as a citizen.
I am here to tell you that being on the receiving end of an online
hate campaign absolutely sucks. I do not recommend it.
The first post was made on Facebook by a local group called Citizens
for a New Louisiana, a group that has wreaked havoc on public
libraries across Louisiana. Citizens is led by Executive Director
Michael Lunsford. ... They published my name and said that I was
fighting hard to "keep sexually erotic and pornographic materials in
the kids section" of our public library. They identified me as a
school librarian and questioned what kind of nefarious influence I
had over six-year-olds. ... How could anyone come to that conclusion
from my statement opposing censorship? Sexually erotic and
pornographic material in the kids' section?! Six-year-olds?! What
if people actually believed this nonsense?
I started to read the comments... I have devoted twenty-two years of
my life to the children of our community. So much time outside of
regular work hours, time that often came at my family's expense. At
that moment those twenty-two years didn't seem to matter to anyone...
You see, the people commenting weren't just strangers. They were
people I knew. People I grew up with. The hurt was almost more than
I could bear that morning.
* * *
Right after seeing the post by Citizens for a New Louisiana, someone
texted me about another post on Facebook. The Facebook post was done
by a local named Ryan Thames. Ryan is the type of average
middle-aged white guy I like to refer to as a keyboard warrior. He
is a self-professed "asshole" who in the same breath will tell you
what a Christian family man he is...
Ryan posted a meme on this Facebook page he had created that he
apparently found quite hilarious. He stole a picture from my
professional website and added the words, "After advocating teaching
anal sex to 11-year-olds, I had to change my name on Facebook.
Amanda McKee Jones now identifies as Amanda Beth." He also
identified my school and mocked that I had won librarian of the
year.
Again I was flabbergasted. I knew what I had said that night at the
library board meeting. At no point did I speak about anal sex. I
certainly didn't advocate teaching children about it at the library
or at my school. Where were these lies coming from? In the year
since I have spent countless hours looking at where this nonsense is
happening to librarians across the country. Sadly, my experience is
by no means unique. The worst part was it wasn't just him. Many of
our community members--people I knew--shared his post. ... One parent
in particular whose child I had helped with getting services for a
learning disability was especially vicious. When I taught her child,
she told me I was the best teacher they'd ever had. Now I was a
person she wouldn't want around her child. The sense of betrayal was
overwhelming. When you live in a small two-red-light town like I do,
everyone knows everyone. People who I thought knew me since
childhood, were suddenly turning on me.
I knew that social media was a vicious place. I just didn't know how
diabolical it could be. ... I knew there could be backlash for
standing up for the LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities in my conservative
town. But I never would have dreamed that strangers and friends
would stoop so low with their lies and personal attacks.
Ryan Thames and Michael Lunsford, the self-appointed protectors of
children sure didn't think about protecting mine. I do wonder if
they thought of my daughter [at all].
As the commenters gassed each other up, the focus shifted from basic
censorship at a public library meeting to a moral panic that I was
handing out erotica to my students.
* * *
At the meeting, I had spoken about censorship only in general and
didn't mention a single particular book, but Citizens for a New
Louisiana posted, "It's an instruction manual. Teaching an
8-year-old how to perform a sex act is a criminal offense."
I'd like to make one thing clear. I had never spoken to these
people, in person or online. I didn't know them and I do not know
them now. They merely chose me out of all the other speakers that
night to target. I have my suspicions as to why they chose me. Who
better to take down than the award winning school librarian? These
men wanted to make an example out of someone and scare the community
into silence.
It worked to some extent.
The large crowd that showed up to defend intellectual freedom on July
19th, 2022, dwindled to only a few at the next public library board
meetings. Nobody wanted to speak out if that meant becoming the next
target.
Men like Michael and Ryan are intimidated by strong women, and
when they have nothing of value to contribute to the conversation,
they personal attacks.
I decided to take matters into my own hands and reclaim my
reputation. I filed police reports, hired an attorney, and started
the process of taking back my life.
# Chapter 2: How We Got Here
Libraries are important to our society, with the American Library
Association reporting that there are more than sixteen thousand
public libraries in the United States. /Smithsonian/ magazine
reported that more Americans go to libraries than the movies, and
"visiting the library was 'by far' the most common cultural activity
among Americans in 2019." Libraries are important to small towns
like mine because they support cultural heritage and history, provide
services many in our community could not otherwise afford, and are
safe spaces for the most vulnerable. We use the library as a meeting
place and to access Wi-Fi if we live in rural areas without internet,
and there are even programs to provide snacks and meals for community
members in need. The books are free, and I can check out as many as
I need or want.
# Chapter 3: Here, There, Everywhere
First, there are vast differences between public and school libraries
in regard to collection development and shelving. I don't expect the
average citizen to know that all libraries have collection
development policies, which describe how books are chosen for their
library. These usually require guidance from professional review
services, and there are selection criteria that must be met.
Professional reviews are found in journals like Kirkus Reviews,
Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. Librarians
should never use crowdsourced reviews from Amazon, where anyone,
including children, can write reviews. Those are okay for personal
purchases but shouldn't be used to guide library selection decisions.
Another source never to be used is BookLooks. This is a website
created by a Moms For Liberty leader. This site takes book passages
out of context, the rating system is questionable, and the majority
of the books found objectionable are books with LGBTQIA+ characters
and themes.
For instance, my school is a fifth and sixth grade school. I would
not have Stephen King's /It/ at my school, because it's
professionally reviewed for adults. Trust me, I've had many students
request it. That doesn't mean I don't value the book if I don't have
it in our school library. It means that I select books according to
the ages of our students. Different books are written for
different-age readers, and librarians always take that into
consideration when making purchases. This is why library policies
should be created by professional librarians who understand these
differences and nuances.
However, sometimes someone will not agree with a choice. That;s why
there are challenge and reconsideration policies. [These] allow
patrons (in public libraries) or the parents (in school libraries) to
lodge complaints about a book and ask for it to either be relocated
or removed.
At the 2023 Louisiana legislative hearing for SB7, then attorney
general Jeff Landry said, "Parents should be able to drop off their
children at the local library without them stumbling upon sexually
explicit material." When it was time for me to speak, I countered,
"Libraries are not daycare centers." A parent shouldn't just drop
off their minor children at the local courthouse or Walmart, just
like they shouldn't be dropping off their minor children at the
library. Public libraries have adult sections because they also
serve adults. If you don't want your child near adult material, you
should monitor your own child.
At a recent Livingston Perish Public Library Board of Control meeting
in my community, a board member suggested that we should not allow
anyone under the age of eighteen in the library without a parent in
case they go into the adult section. ... Our current policy is that
any one thirteen years old and younger should be with an adult. ... I
asked John Chrastka of EveryLibrary his opinion, and he pointed out
that in Louisiana sixteen-year-olds can get married. ... Wanting to
ban a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old from entering the library
without an adult when they can work and get married at that age is
perverse to me.
"Pro-censors challenged 2,571 books in 2022, a 38 percent increase
from the 1,858 books targeted for censorship in 2021. Of those
titles, the vast majority were written by or about members of the
LGBTQIA+ community or by and about Black people, Indigenous people,
and People of Color." The American Library Association also reported
that "the prevalent use of lists of books compiled by organized
censorship groups contribute significantly to the skyrocketing number
of challenges and the frequency with which each title was challenged.
Of the overall number of books challenged, 90% were part of attempts
to censor multiple titles. Of the books challenged, 40% were in
cases involving 100 or more books." Those were just the number of
challenges reported. We don't even have an accurate depiction of how
widespread these censorship attempts are...
The groups challenging books are highly organized and well funded.
Everyone in the United States should stand up for intellectual
freedom and stand against censorship, regardless of party line. You
start banning one thing, and you're on a slippery slope to banning
everything. ... One of my favorite quotes is from Deborah
Caldwell-Stone, who once said "Each attempt to ban a book by one of
these groups represents a direct attack on every person's
constitutionally protected right to freely choose what books to read
and what ideas to explore or, in the case of children, to parents.
That choice does not belong to the self-appointed book police."
The American Library Association's report went on to include this
statement, "Books are no longer the sole target of attacks
orchestrated by conservative parent groups and right-wing media.
Both school and public librarians are increasingly in the crosshairs
of conservative groups during book challenges and subject to
defamatory name-calling, online harassment, social media attacks, and
doxxing, as well as direct threats to their safety, their employment,
and their very liberty."
# Chapter 4: What Would Judy Do?
Judy [Blume] was everything to me [as a kid], and her books shaped my
life.
/Blubber/ was my first foray into reading books I now realize helped
shape who I am, and I credit Judy for making me more empathetic.
Judy wrote about real issues that were easy to digest as a child, and
I could not get enough of her stories.
Her books touched on topics that no other author at the time seemed
to be writing about for kids, including racism, puberty, bullying,
and anxiety. Her books were honest and raw, and they made me think
about topics I hadn't thought about before. As I got older, I
realized that not everyone liked her books as much as I did and that
she is one of the most banned authors of all time. ... I am so
fortunate that I had parents who allowed me to explore life through
literature and who never questioned the Judy Blume books I was
reading.
I often look around my community and see "Christians" who us the
Bible and Christianity as weapons. That's not how I was raised, and
I'm thankful. I was taught in church that we are all sinners and
that it's not up to me to judge others, and this was the same lesson
I was taught at home. I think the combined efforts of my parents to
raise us in a loving church and to have access to books and
libraries, along with my mom and dad's parenting style, all helped me
to become a kind person with integrity. We were always raised to
tell the truth, be thankful for what we had, and look out for one
another.
# Chapter 6: Hell Hath No Fury Like A Librarian Scorned
Growing up, I looked upon the school and public librarians in my life
with reverence. They were the keepers of the books and opened the
gates to knowledge. They were there to help me find books and access
other worlds, always with a kind smile. ... Little did I know growing
up that librarians are secret badasses.
I couldn't have imagined that one day I would join the ranks of
FReadom Fighters and step up to defend my town against people set on
destroying our public library system.
A fellow educator whom I know only vaguely reached out to me via
Facebook Messenger to quiz me about my comments from the public
library board meeting. We weren't friends and I don't know her. She
kept asking "What book are you pushing to keep in the library?" I
kept repeating to her that I hadn't gone to speak about particular
books but about censorship in general. She kept quizzing me like I
was a student she was giving some wild pop quiz to. She made
comments about "agendas" and things against her religion and kept
trying to find some "gotcha" moment with me. ... I almost came
unglued and wanted to ask her who she was to quiz me about religion,
morals, and agendas when she had a very public affair while she was
married, to a police officer who was also married, and both of their
marriages ended in a divorce because of it.
[Regarding another man who was posting extremely hateful things.]
This man had a decades-long affair and secret children behind his
wife's back. But there he was online, discussing my morality because
I spoke up about library reconsideration policies. That might be
the most maddening part of being defamed online--knowing the
character of the people throwing stones while they sit on a moral
high horse.
I lodged a criminal complaint against the two ringleaders, but the
sheriff's department said it was more of a civil matter. That was a
huge letdown.
* * *
These groups operate by instilling fear so that no one will challenge
them, and I knew it was important to take a stand.
# Chapter 8: Are You There Michelle?
At the 2016 Democratic National Convention, former first lady
Michelle Obama famously said, "When they go low, we go high." In an
interview with Oprah Winfrey, she said, "My purpose in life doesn't
revolve around taking care of my own little ego, but instead to ensure
that I am a positive role model for the next generation and I am
creating positive change. There is a bigger purpose for me out
there. So when I respond to something, I have to think about that."
# Chapter 10: Some People Are Ride Or Die
When I started facing online abuse within my community, some people
did indeed step up, but most did not. Many former students reached
out to me. My family supported me. But it opened my eyes to several
of my local friendships that weren't as solid as I'd believed them to
be. I have walked away from a number of these over the past year. I
look at my job and my coworkers differently now. The sense of
betrayal I felt towards friends who didn't speak out publicly was
huge. It's something I'm still coming to terms with.
Nobody owes me anything. My friends shouldn't be forced to defend
me, but it would have been nice if they had tried. I would have done
that and so much more if the tables had been turned.
I happen to see my support of marginalized groups as an issue of
morality and basic human empathy, not a political matter.
Dear Ms. Jones,
I'm 63 and a veteran, so I've known and met a lot of very tough
people in my time who've served our nation with courage and
distinction in wars and various military skirmishes going all the
way back to WWII. I'm talking about men (mostly) but also women
who've put everything on the line to defend our democratic
principles; and I have to tell you I'm hard pressed to think of
anyone I admire more than you.
We call our veterans and first responders heroes--it sort of
rolls off our tongues with alacrity--but the older I get the more
I've come to realize that educators and teachers like you are
just as much heroes as the tough veterans (some of them my
relatives) I've known and loved who, in a few instances, even
fought hand-to-hand with the enemy in faraway places like Iwo
Jima and the Middle East. That may sound like hyperbole to some
but it's flat out true. That reality was reinforced over the
past several years when Covid lurched across the nation and hit
our schools hard. Teachers were suddenly thrust into the
trenches in a way that wasn't entirely dissimilar to the
hand-to-hand combat those in the military have endured throughout
history. Teachers' lives were literally on the line and a lot of
them succumbed just because they refused to let the pandemic keep
them from their duty to the children and communities they serve.
Now, I know you didn't choose to be a hero--and that's one of the
odd things about heroes: the vast majority don't go out in their
day looking for an opportunity to be a hero, the situation just
sort of happens upon them, often at times when they least expect
it, and they were suddenly thrust into a decision point. They
find themselves at a fork in the road where they have to decide,
the way that you did, who they are and what they stand for, and
then they make a bold decision to go forward against the
seemingly untenable odds. It is frequently a decision made in a
millisecond, or it may take a few minutes or even days to muster
the courage that propels them forward, but they do indeed go
forward. I'm sure you've heard the aphorism about courage not
being defined as the absence of fear, but rather, feeling fearful
and going forward despite it. Some of the bravest people I've
known readily admit they were literally shaking in their boots
when they jumped out of a plane or flew a bomber over Germany in
WWII.
When I think of the heroes I've met, a lot of them are like you,
often humble people that I refer to as an "accidental hero." But
that doesn't detract from their heroic actions. I know you
didn't wake up one day and say you're going to get dressed and go
to battle with angry people who want to force their sectarian
agenda down your throat and the throats of the people and
children you love and support. But there you are fighting what I
and millions of your admirers would call the good fight. You're
on the side of humanity. You're on the decent side. You, like
so many of the soldiers who've defended our nation's values over
the past 245 years, are standing up for all of us--not just in
Louisiana, but all across this land and everywhere that small
minded bigots seek to impose their narrow views on anyone who
doesn't think like them or march in lockstep to their un-American
goals.
The last thing I want to say about being a hero is that it can be
awfully lonely. Most people (even some of your friends and
family) will sit idly on the sidelines keeping score from a
distance. Even if they wholeheartedly agree with you, they don't
want to risk the condemnation you've suffered. They're not as
strong as you and they can't muster the courage to fight this
battle. It doesn't make them bad people, necessarily, it just
means their fear is strong and they don't have what it takes to
stand up for themselves, let alone others. Not everyone does.
It must be heartrending when someone you thought you knew or
loved turns their back simply because you stood up for decency.
That hurts! And it's a hurt that may never completely go away.
The downside of being a hero is that no one else can fully
understand what you're going through, and that's what makes it
kind of lonely. The best thing you can do, in my opinion, is
remember (especially when you're feeling low and wondering
whether it's all worth it) that you know yourself better than
anyone on this planet, and you trust yourself and believe in
yourself and recognize that you are where you are because you can
handle this moment. This is where you're meant to be. It hasn't
been easy and there probably isn't a lot of easy coming anytime
soon, but you are the right person in the right place a the right
time in history and, intentionally or not, you have become a hero
and role model to millions of people. More important, a hell of
a lot of children need people like you to help them find the hero
within themselves so they can grow up to be bold and brave like
you. You have touched the lives of more people than you will
ever comprehend.
I congratulate you on your efforts and on behalf of our great
nation wish you the best!
With gratitude and immense admiration,
Bill (New York)
# Chapter 11: The Longevity of Hate
In a sense, the haters are why I continue to say yes to interviews
and the reason I'm writing this book. If they would leave me alone,
I'd have nothing to talk about and I wouldn't need to defend myself.
I laugh when people post things like "She's seeking her 15 minutes of
fame" or "That evil woman is media hungry." I'd actually like the
whole business to go away, but as long as I continue to be targeted,
I will speak out. And it's no longer just about me. Early on, I
felt a larger responsibility. If libraries authors, and marginalized
communities continue to be harassed, and books continued to be
banned, I will give interviews when asked.
# Chapter 12: Think of the Children
Rational people take it all with a grain of salt because the antics
of the pro-censors are so over-the-top. But staying silent is a kind
of complicity and when people don't push back, censorship efforts
gain traction, and one day I'm afraid it will be too late. What the
general public needs to know is that these people won't just stop at
censoring books or ruining libraries. They will continue to wreak
havoc on our public education system until it is irreversibly broken.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention sexual
abuse affects 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys in their childhood. In
June 2022, the FBI opened investigations into over a dozen sexual
abuse claims in the Roman Catholic Church in New Orleans. Our
Louisiana attorney general and my elected officials have decided that
the bigger fish to fry is not sexual abuse, neglect, rates of foster
care, and so forth. No, they want to save the children by taking
away library books. ... We don't need to create a pretend moral panic
in Louisiana, or across the nation, when there are actual people
harming children, and it's not drag queens during story hour.
# Chapter 13: It's Raining Sin, Hallelujah
What I see is a society growing more open-minded to people who are
different from them, and a backlash from a segment of people who are
uncomfortable with this. These folks see it as a zero-sum game. Any
movement toward openness and acceptance somehow takes something away
from them. This is where all the victim talk comes from...
# Chapter 14: It Was The Best Of Times, It Was The Worst Of Times
One of the first messages I received was from a former student whose
mother was maligning me online. She reached out to apologize for
her mother's behavior, even though I would never hold her mother's
actions against her. She told me that she was a proud member of the
LGBTQIA+ community and felt bad for the things her mother was
posting. I felt awful when I read that message, not because of what
the mother said but because she was openly posting vitriol about the
LGBTQIA+ community, and the people speaking out for them, when her
own child was gay. I don't understand how mothers can be so
oblivious and cruel toward their own children. This was the first
time I realized just how many people were affected by this hate. I
thanked my former student for reaching out to me and kept that
message to remind me how not to behave toward my own child.
Having people say that you give children erotica, advocate teaching
children how to perform anal sex, and have the word /groomer/
attached to your name is not fun. It's life-altering and hard to
describe unless it has happened to you. There are too many of us
that it has happened to.
# Chapter 15: What You Can Do In Your Own Community
The pro-censors are loud and obnoxious, and they're only growing
bolder. They'll continue their rampage unless rational people speak
out against them. This movement could have detrimental effects on
our schools and libraries for decades to come if we don't
consistently confront them. People who believe in inclusivity, the
freedom to read, and the public good need to be even louder and more
active than the book banners. They post about saving children but
provide no evidence that children are in danger. It's not about the
kids for them. We all want to protect children. That has never been
the difference between us and them. Their agenda is all about
silencing voices, politics, and money. It's very important in the
quest for intellectual freedom that we get to know our foes.
I highly recommend that everyone take the following steps to stay
informed within your community:
## Steps To Stay Informed Within Your Community
Attend school board, library board, and local governance meetings.
Take notes on which officials use words like /woke/ and
/indoctrination/. If they use words like /gender ideology/ and
/sexually explicit material/, chances are they are pro-censorship.
Hate and oppression is a running theme, and you will find that they
all post the same ridiculous memes filled with lies and conspiracy
theories.
Follow social media accounts of elected officials and take
screenshots to document any extremist views. Share knowledge with
others in your community.
Use a website like PuralPolicy to track legislation and your elected
officials. In Louisiana, we have our own Geaux-Vote app and
legislative website to follow bills and officials. Stay in the know.
HTML PluralPolicy (lynx forbidden)
Use your state government's website to look up politicians and their
donors. Follow the money and you will find the motives.
Vote in every election.
* * *
When, inevitably, you have people in your community who try to say
that there are sexually explicit materials in your school or public
library, first and foremost it's important to remind them about
collection development and reconsideration policies. After that,
prove their lies wrong.
## Sexually Explicit Materials Handout
The next time you hear someone say there are sexually explicit
materials in children's sections of your library (which is not
true) here are some suggestions:
1. Ask this person to give you a title of an actual book. Look
on your library's catalog to see if the book even exists
and/or if it is even in the children's section. You can
usually see for yourself that their claim is false. Then YOU
don't have to perpetuate the rumor and can stop it in its
tracks.
2. Check out the book and read it for yourself. Remember that
every book might not be your cup of tea, but that doesn't mean
the book is sexually explicit. If you object to a title, fill
out a formal request for reconsideration if you feel that is
necessary. Keep in mind that a book in the adult section must
fail the Miller test to be considered obscene and sexually
explicit. Books are taken as a whole and based on literary
merit--not just one page out of context.
3. Ask yourself if they have a hidden motive. Once you can prove
to them that their claims are false and they continue to
spread the lie, ask yourself why. You'd be amazed at how many
people simply want to spread lies, even if they know they are
lies. That's called chasing clout. They want to feel
important and/or were fed disinformation that they did not
take time to verify.
4. See if they or a family member is running for office. Are
they just jumping on the bandwagon of using the library as a
punching bag to stir up drama so that they can say they will
swoop in and save the day from that fake issue? This is
called pandering for votes.
5. They might need attention because something is missing in
their life. Be a good friend. Invite them to lunch and then
swing by the library to pick up free books, magazines, movies,
or music for checkout. The library also contains self-help
books.
6. Ask your friendly neighborhood librarian or email the
alliance, and we will help prove it for you!
Before delving into defending intellectual freedom, libraries, and
your community, I also implore you to visit PEN America's Online
Harassment Field Manual to prepare and check in often with Kelly
Johnson's censorship articles.
HTML Online Harassment Field Manual
It is also important that, if you decide to take any type of stand
against hate, you take advanced precautions to protect yourself.
Online trolls and keyboard warriors consider anyone and everyone fair
game, even your family. Nobody is off-limits to their garbage, and
safety is key. You also need to know that no matter how many safety
measures you take, they will find a way to come at you. The truth
doesn't matter to them, and they will openly lie in seeking to
destroy you. Be prepared as much as you can and consider the
following:
## Online Privacy And Safety Recommendations
Remove any references to your job from personal and professional
websites and social media. Do this with every app that you use.
There were some I didn't even think about, like Goodreads, the app I
use to track my own reading.
Work emails are for work. Personal emails are for personal use.
Don't confuse the two. Make sure all apps, websites, and social
media only contain your personal emails. Your work emails could be
subject to public records requests. Now, that's not to insinuate
that you are doing anything wrong on your work emails! I just know
from personal experience that these people will take screenshots out
of context and twist words. Be careful.
You can retroactively set all previous Facebook posts to private or
friends-only viewing with the click of a button. Do it. You should
also remove or hide pictures of your children and other family
members and fix your privacy settings on all social media to allow
minimal commenting from people you aren't "friends" with on the
platforms.
Change your passwords often on all accounts.
Use an app like Slack, with channels for different topics, to help
your cause. Only invite the "inner circle" of trusted leaders in
these communications.
If you are a librarian, use an app like Signal to communicate with
each other. This app is less likely to be hacked, and you can set
messages to disappear after a few minutes.
Don't engage with online trolls. You will only stress yourself out,
and you're not going to change their minds. The best thing to do is
block and ignore.
You can also report harassment or misinformation on most social media
platforms.
If you receive a threatening email, do not forward it, as you can
potentially mess with the email's code. Print it out, save it, and
report it to law enforcement immediately.
Document every link, screenshot, and email. Save the information in
multiple secure places. You never know when it will come in handy.
# Chapter 16: Don't Let Anyone Dull Your Sparkle
Human rights should not be political. ... I often wonder where we
have gone wrong as a country when people who believe the LGBTQIA+
community should be allowed the same rights as everyone are labeled
radicals.
This notion that white Christians are being oppressed or persecuted
is asinine. They want so badly to be victims while they are the
ones doing the oppressing. Christianity is not under attack. White
people are not being persecuted for being white. I see a concerted
effort by white Christian nationalists to oppress anyone who is not
them, while the "other side" simply wants to exist, be afforded the
same rights, and to be left alone.
Freedom and parental rights are a rallying cry but the same people
who say this are trying to take away the rights of young adult
readers, their parents, and others. The people who say they are for
smaller government are pushing government control over what we the
people have access to, and not just children. We should ALL want the
freedom to read what we want to read and have access to reading
materials from a variety of viewpoints. Protecting our libraries is
exactly how we do that.
author: Jones, Amanda
TEXT detail: gopher://gopherpedia.com/0/Amanda_Jones_(librarian)
tags: book,censorship,freedom,political
title: That Librarian
# Tags
DIR book
DIR censorship
DIR freedom
DIR political