On Saturday, October 11, the Central Library is open to registered Heartland Book Festival attendees only. Regular services, such as hold pickups, public computers and phones, and public meeting rooms, will not be available.
School librarian Amanda Jones’ life changed forever after she spoke at a public library board meeting two years ago in Livingston Parish, Louisiana. She voiced concern about censorship as other librarians across the nation have – more and more in recent years – and a pro-censorship group heard her.
For months, members of the pro-censorship group fired a sustained barrage of bizarre and erroneous social media posts about her, including death threats, which led to her taking a leave of absence from work, filing an anti-defamation lawsuit, and, ultimately, publishing a book, That Librarian.
Jones, a 23-year veteran educator, discusses that journey, how it’s changed her personal and professional life, and how crucial it is to the health and continuance of a democracy to fight censorship at every turn.
She was the 2020 Louisiana School Librarian of the Year, 2021 School Library Journal National Librarian of the Year, and the past-president of the Louisiana Association of School Librarians.