Walking into the Leesville Community Library, it’s hard to picture the quiet and welcoming space as the setting for any kind of political firestorm, let alone the one that engulfed Wake County public libraries a few years ago.
Leesville library manager Kate Taylor was a key player in that 2022 fight, which took place over book banning and censorship.
Taylor, who spearheaded the development of a new policy protecting the freedom to read, says the library administration today is supportive of “highlighting books of all kinds” through book lists and public displays. That’s a significant change from 2022, when administrators were under fire for considering the removal of Gender Queer, Our Skin, and Antiracist Baby from the shelves.
The controversy highlighted a major divide between librarians on the ground and administrative decision-makers, even as librarians nationwide faced a huge influx of attempts to ban books. Without the support of administrators, some Wake County librarians felt disheartened in their attempts to resist censorship. Last year, the hiring of a new library director—Tammy Baggett, in August 2024—gave some hope that a change in philosophy was also perhaps on the way. “[It] signals a change in leadership,” Taylor notes. “We’re curious to see where she takes us next.”
Of course, the new policy implemented in 2022 is also a step forward. Many “public-facing staff” were involved in writing it, Taylor says.
Putting the library’s procedure for developing its collection and responding to book challenges in writing was, in the opinion of some, long overdue. But in accordance with national standards, the policy now includes language that library books may “reflect controversial, unorthodox, or even unpopular ideas” and that “only parents or legal guardians have the authority … to determine the use of library materials for their own minor children.”
“Those are two phrases that I felt were really important to be in there, and that I think really protect our collection,” Taylor says.
The policy certainly seems to have made Wake County public libraries more resilient in the face of increasing book challenges. With only one “request for reconsideration” filed this year, it’s easy to believe Taylor when she says that the North Raleigh community is overwhelmingly supportive of the library’s mission.
But the quiet that is comforting here is very different from the silence that has blanketed other libraries, as employees hesitate to speak up and draw attention to themselves amid the political battle over books.
Libraries still under fire
While some patrons are supportive of the freedom to read, libraries undoubtedly remain under attack. In the past four years, the number of books challenged across the United States has remained at record highs, according to data collected by the American Library Association (ALA). The number peaked in 2023 at 4,240 books challenged, more than 15 times the average number of titles that were challenged from 2001 to 2020 (which was 273). In 2024, more than 2,000 books were challenged across the country.
Across North Carolina, at least 103 books were challenged in 2024, 91 of which were housed in school libraries. Among those were The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison, The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, and Ban This Book, by Alan Gratz.
Where parents were once the biggest initiators of book challenges, libraries now face organized censorship campaigns that attack dozens of books at once. In 2024, elected officials, board members, administrators, and conservative “pressure groups” like Moms for Liberty were responsible for more than 70% of U.S. book challenges documented by the ALA. From 2001 to 2020, this group was responsible for only 2.8% of documented book challenges.
In North Carolina, the number is even higher, with “pressure groups and decision makers” responsible for 85% of the challenges documented in 2024. Laws attacking libraries continue to be proposed and passed in the state legislature.
In July, the NC General Assembly passed a law requiring school districts to publicly post the names of all books in school and classroom libraries. Faced with hours of cataloging work and uncertain of the impact complying would have on their jobs and personal lives, many teachers opted to simply remove their classroom libraries, taking away one more route children have to reading.
“A lot of [teachers] do consider it a lot easier just to be like, ‘I’m taking my library out,’” says school librarian Michelle Wolfson, also a member of the NC Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee. “They’re not going to deal with the nonsense of actually logistically doing this thing. They don’t want to worry about ticking off a parent, they don’t want to make a child uncomfortable.”
That’s not to mention the chilling effect of the law on teachers who choose to keep their classroom libraries. “Even when they’re buying new books, now they’re worrying, ‘‘Should I have this? Should I not have this?’” Wolfson says.
Speaking out
In such a charged political atmosphere, standing up for the freedom to read is no longer easy. Some librarians are reluctant to even report attempts to censor or ban books, afraid of being threatened, harassed, or fired. Case in point, only 1% of school libraries responded to the NCLA’s 2024 censorship survey, which collects data on book challenges and bans.
“Talking to people, and especially with school media centers, they’re just not comfortable,” says Ann Mavian, chair of the NCLA Intellectual Freedom Committee. “They are just trying to stay under the radar. Because they are feeling so under attack, they just want to tread really quietly.”
“Talking to people, and especially with school media centers, they’re just not comfortable. They are just trying to stay under the radar. Because they are feeling so under attack, they just want to tread really quietly.”
Mavian has received several reports of librarians in North Carolina being personally attacked—perhaps not surprising, given that the state legislature proposed a law in April that would have allowed public schools to be sued over library books. Or, in Mavian’s words, “held librarians personally responsible for material people
check out.”
As far as advocacy is concerned, “there are definitely some that will jump right in and be involved in change,” says Wolfson. “But there are many who don’t want to be involved for a myriad of reasons. And there’s also a lot that are afraid. You don’t want to lose your job.”
When it comes to dealing with censorship, a supportive community really makes all the difference, says Wolfson. If administrators and parents have your back when it comes to fighting book bans, it’s easier to speak out and stand tall. On the other hand, if a librarian feels isolated —often the case in rural communities—it’s that much more difficult to take action.
“I personally feel a lot of power and strength when you find your community,” Wolfson says. “You can talk about these problems … We need to figure out together how we’re going to fix it, make it better, who we’re going to talk to, how we’re going to talk to them, all that.”
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