Picture going to your local library to borrow a book, only to discover it’s missing from the shelf. When you ask a librarian, they tell you it’s unavailable—not because it’s checked out, but because government officials have taken it away, deciding you shouldn’t read it.

This scenario is not a dystopian fiction; it is the reality permitted by a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision. By declining to intervene, the Court has essentially given state and local governments in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas the power to decide what reading materials are accessible. Consequently, residents of these states are denied the full First Amendment protections enjoyed elsewhere in the nation, a development that should concern everyone. 

Attempts to ban books from school and public libraries in the United States are not new, but their scale has surged in recent years. recorded 6,870 book ban incidents in the last school year, an increase from previous counts. Although media attention may have waned, the campaigns to remove books continue unabated. 

By upholding Little v. Llano, the Supreme Court has paved the way for a further expansion of book bans, offering limited legal options to challenge them. Librarians are now potentially the last line of defense, and many of us have already faced this challenge. We worry about how many more of our peers nationwide will be forced into this difficult position.

People often think it can’t happen to them. They view us, two librarians from Louisiana and Texas, and presume our struggles are confined to our specific areas. That is precisely the strategy. The organizers behind these censorship drives—national conservative political organizations—pilot their most extreme methods in small, rural communities they assume the broader public will ignore. What seems remote to some is a test case for all. Now, with the Supreme Court’s refusal to act, the signal is clear: if it succeeds here, it will reach your libraries next. The situation on our shelves is not an isolated anomaly; it is a nationwide trial of your constitutional rights.

Let us be unequivocal: the drive to ban books has never truly been about safeguarding children. It is about censorship and controlling what the younger generation can learn and comprehend. These bans consistently focus on narratives addressing race, racism, gender, and sexuality, particularly works authored by . Removing these books is an effort to obliterate certain experiences, alter historical understanding, and impose a limited perspective on whole communities.

The is a cornerstone of American democracy. Yet in Llano County, when authorities revealed the Supreme Court would not take the case, proponents of banning books erupted in celebration. They cheered the erosion of rights and freedoms, reveling in a moment that undermines the constitutional safeguards designed to protect everyone.

Over recent months, we have traveled across the country for screenings of , a documentary by Oscar-nominated director Kim A. Snyder that chronicles our fight against demands to pull books from our libraries. The film combines our viewpoints and reveals how these banning efforts are a coordinated campaign spearheaded by national conservative groups such as . These groups have penetrated classrooms and school boards in almost every state, with varying degrees of success.

We are aware that book bans are widely opposed. More than voters disapprove of removing books from public libraries, a sentiment that spans the political spectrum. Our tour has confirmed this. Screening requests arrive equally from traditionally Republican and Democratic states, demonstrating that the freedom to read is a value Americans hold in common. 

At nearly every sold-out screening—from Dallas to Des Moines, Shreveport, to Anchorage—audience members ask what they can do to protect their rights and resist. 

Our answer is to act immediately. Defending the right to read begins locally: by speaking out, voting, and—if no candidate aligns with your principles—considering a run for the school or library board yourself. Believe us, this conflict will reach your community sooner than you expect.

President once stated: “. Do not imagine you can hide mistakes by hiding the proof they occurred. Do not fear to enter your library and read every book.”

We should heed President Eisenhower’s advice. Constant vigilance is essential. 

Authoritarian systems thrive when the public becomes inattentive. Support your local library, borrow books, and continue reading. By remaining united and knowledgeable, we can preserve unrestricted reading as a bedrock of our democracy and a basic liberty for all.