Presented at Louisiana Library Association 2023 Conference: Censorship and book bans are the singular challenges facing public libraries right now. Attempts to ban or censor materials come in many shapes and from several different directions. When they originate with concerned parents or community members, it is always important to engage in difficult conversations. But when they become politicized or are performative, it is necessary to understand that they may be driven by an agenda. EveryLibrary, the national political action committee for libraries, assists libraries across the country when board meetings are being hijacked, politicians are using book challenges to defund the library, and librarians are under direct personal attacks. In the first session, John Chrasttka, executive director of EveryLibrary, will share practical, actionable tips to prepare your board and staff, manage crisis communications, evaluate policies, and activate allies to protect your library and your readers.

1. Censor’s Playbook -
Part 1
John Chrastka, EveryLibrary
Louisiana Library Association 2023

2. EveryLibrary | 501(c)4 Political Action
Committee
• Election Days and Negotiations
• Support for Legislative Agendas
• Outreach and Activism to the Public
EveryLibrary Institute - 501(c)3 Research and
Policy Think Tank
• Research Agenda
• Training Programs
• Programmatic Partnerships and Coalitions

3. SB 7 Implementation

4. SB7 and HB25
Campaigns
The Louisiana library community showed up
and fought for its values.
From LLA’s “Setting the Record Straight”
response to the Protecting Innocence report to
direct action to inform and activate the public
to engaging the legislature directly, this
community conducted a strong campaign to
oppose unnecessary and unwise legislation.

5. SB7 and HB25
Campaign
Elements
• Establishing your position through dialog
and discussion.
• Engaging LLA committees and coalitions
outside of LLA.
• Public-facing calls-to-action about SB7
and HB25 (with EveryLibrary support).
• Testimony to the legislature.
• Media engagement.
HB25 died. SB7 passed and enacted.

6. SB 7 - What is
Next?
• Effective date is August 1, 2023
• Policies are required to be adopted by
January 1, 2024
• State Library liaison work with AG’s office
to develop model policies through the
fall.
• Vendor configuration work through June
1, 2024 implementation date.

7. Censor’s Playbook

8. What Today is
Not About
This Session is not about challenges that
involve the legitimate concerns of
locally-involved stakeholders who participate
in the process and respect its outcome.

9. Conflicts within
and between
rights and
responsibilities
Five Freedoms of the 1st Amendment
Freedom of Speech
Freedom of Religion
Freedom of the Press
Freedom of Assembly
Right to Petition the Government for Redress
14th Amendment
Equal protection under the law

10. Five Vectors of a
Politicized or
Performative
Challenge
1. Base-Building Crusaders
2. Anti-People (LGBTQ , BiPOC)
3. Classic Anti-Tax and Anti-Government
Movements
4. Anti-Public Education and Anti-Union
5. Spiritual Warfare or Moral Panic

11. It isn’t Just
About Books
1. Anti-access legislation, esp state library
database contracts.
2. Legislation allowing for civil and criminal
penalties against librarians, educators,
board members.
3. Changing state obscenity laws to include
librarians and educators
4. Legislative bans or limits on discussing
or teaching certain topics.
5. Boards are being politicized.
6. State Library budgets and authority.

12. Three Languages of
Politics

13. Political
Decisions
Directly or indirectly, how we choose to tax
ourselves and what values are expressed in our
budgets, policies, and programs are
fundamentally political in nature.
How do policies, budgets, and laws reflect and
express our values?
There are three mainline political narratives we
operate within (see: “Three Languages of
Politics” by Arnold Kling, Cato Institute 2016)

14. Progressive
My heroes are people who have stood up
for the underprivileged.
The people I cannot stand are the people
who are indifferent to the oppression of
women, minorities, and the poor.

15. Conservative
My heroes are people who have stood up
for Western values.
The people I cannot stand are the people
who are indifferent to the assault on the
moral virtues and traditions that are the
foundation for our civilization.

16. Libertarian
My heroes are people who have stood up
for individual rights.
The people I cannot stand are the people
who are indifferent to government taking
away people’s ability to make their own
choices.

17. New 4th
Language of
Politics
Disrupt / Dismantle
My heroes are people who have put their
foot down and said enough is enough….
My heroes are people who have taken
back their rights….
My heroes are people who are
champions for their beliefs…

18. An Emerging
4th Language of
Politics
The differences between a “normal” book
or materials challenge and a performative
or highly-politicized one needs to
understood in the context of:
a) Parental control or concern
b) The population(s) represented in the
books
c) Who is making the challenge and to
what audience?

19. Voter Perception of
Book Bans and
Censorship

20. Book Ban
Voter Poll
EveryLibrary
Institute
September
2022
Which statement best describes your opinion about banning
books in school and public libraries?
51% - There is absolutely no time when a book should be
banned
41% - There are rare times when it's appropriate to ban
books
8% - There are many books that are inappropriate and
should be banned
Progressives seem to have lost all sense of what is
age-appropriate and what should be left to parents to teach
their kids. We need more limits on what they learn at school
and the kinds of books they can check out at the library.
30% Strongly agree
16 Somewhat agree
14 Somewhat disagree
39 Strongly disagree

21. Book Ban
Voter Poll
EveryLibrary
Institute
September
2022
Classic novels, such as “The Handmaid’s Tale, “Of Mice and Men”
and “To Kill a Mockingbird,” have been banned because of their
depiction of violence and/or race.
2% Strongly support
1 Somewhat support
8 Somewhat oppose
85 Strongly oppose
4 Not sure
Children’s books have been banned for random reasons. For
example, The Lorax was banned because a school board member
was a logger, and Walter the Farting Dog was banned because it
has the word “farting” in it.
2% Strongly support
3 Somewhat support
10 Somewhat oppose
81 Strongly oppose
5 Not sure

22. Book Ban
Voter Poll
EveryLibrary
Institute
September
2022
If you don’t like a book at a library, don’t check it out. Other
people shouldn’t be able to control what me or my family can
read.
75% Strongly agree
16 Somewhat agree
6 Somewhat disagree
3 Strongly disagree
Libraries also had a lot of variety when I was young. My
generation survived reading whatever we wanted, and I’m
pretty sure the next generation will be fine too.
61% Strongly agree
21 Somewhat agree
14 Somewhat disagree
5 Strongly disagree

23. Book Ban
Voter Poll
EveryLibrary
Institute
September
2022
Voters are most offended by the idea that children and
classic books are being banned. Banning classic novels
and children’s books are nearly universally opposed.
Banning books for capricious reasons is likewise not
supported.
However, support for banning increases to 18% when
discussing books that focus on race, and to 34% for
books that discuss sexuality. There is the greatest
support for banning books about sexuality.

24. Activism in the
Local Fights

25. EveryLibrary’s
Three
Principles of
Activism
Identify the Legitimate Local
Stakeholders
Center the Affected People in
the Campaign
Amplify Their Agenda

26. Pathways of
Book and
Materials
Challenges
Dr. Tasslyn Magnusson’s research (pre-pub)
C
Policy
R
Outcome
O
Review
Challenge
Engage
Disrupt Dismantle
Ban,
weed,
disappear
Organize Policy
Political
Agenda
B P Fight O
Outcome
Four Dogs
Power

27. Get Organized to Fight For Policy and Due Process
There are “Four Dogs” in the fight….

28. Four Dogs
•Watchdog
Names how should policy be followed
•Guard Dog
Organizes allies and the media
•Bird Dog
Directs actions toward a better outcome
•Guide Dog
Solidarity in the fight

29. Watchdog
•Shadow Board
•Policy Watch
•Moral Compass
•Defines ’how it should be going’ and
names the ways that the current process
is variant
•Defines what a proper outcome looks
like

30. Guard Dog
•Identifies and organizes other activists
•Defends the integrity of the process
•Defends the integrity and competency
of the librarians and the library
•Identifies allies or affected populations
•Builds the coalition
•Talks to the media
•Identifies a plaintiff

31. Bird Dog
•Identifies and organizes
supporters
•Is active on social media
•Is active at meetings
•Focused on direct action
•Uses digital tools and
real-world engagements

32. Guide Dog
• Solidarity with folks who are
under threat or under attack.
• Nationally, EveryLibrary invites
you to take action for libraries at
Action.EveryLibrary.org
• FightForTheFirst.org organizing
platform (turn key)
• Bespoke “Alliance” websites

33. Library Alliances and the
Fight for the First

34. Not a Toolkit
Practical and
actionable tools
for organizers
and activists
Fight for the First from EveryLibrary and the EveryLibrary
Digital platform for organizing local and statewide activists for the First Ame
Civil Rights, Civil Liberties, and Civil Disobedience campaigns
• Petitions and direct email tools
• Event management
• Private ’groups’ for organizers
• Organizer training and strategy
• Fundraising
• c3 compliant donations through our FundLibraries.org crowdfunding
• c4 political donations through EveryLibrary fiscal sponsorship
• Media and PR
• Advertising and outreach budget from ELI or ELPAC for every Fight for th
campaign
Free to any and all legitimate campaigns

35. Four days between launch and the board meeting. No hashtags. Paid ads.
Next step: rewrite and propose their own policy. Continue to organize and
activate against bad policy. Hold the school board accountable.

36. Local and
Statewide
Actions on
Fight for the
First
• Local library Alliances, Education Coalitions, and Right to
Read campaigns.
• St. Tammany Library Alliance, Meridian Library Alliance, Flathead County
Library Alliance
• Forsyth County Education Coalition, Clay County Reading Alliance, Katy
ISD Families
• Florida Freedom to Read, Utah Parents United
• Support for State Library Association Partners
• Rapid Response teams with New Jersey Library Association,
Massachusetts Library Association, Idaho Library Association, Delaware
Library Association, Wyoming Library Association
• Fight for the First campaigns
• Glen Ridge, NJ.
• Bucks County, PA.
• Saline County, AR.
• Mansfield ISD – Tarrant County, TX.
• Let Idaho Read
• Fundraising Campaigns on FundLibraries.org
• Ridgeland, MS
• Patmos Library in Michigan
• Private legal actions
https://www.FightForTheFirst.org

37. The Unprepared Boards
and Staff

38. Unprepared
Boards and
Staff
Challenges are Emotionally Draining
From “Nice Neighbors” and
“Beloved Librarians” to “Groomers”
Unprepared People React in either
Fear or Shame

39. Our Rights are
in Conflict
Five Freedoms of the First Amendment
• Freedom of Speech
• Freedom of Religion
• Freedom of the Press
• Freedom of Assembly
• Right to Petition the Government for Redress
14th Amendment
• Equal protection under the law
In Loco Parentis
• Defining “Relevance” as universal based on
curriculum and standard, age, origin, identity
• Defining “Appropriate” and “Inappropriate” as
particular to a family choice

40. First
Amendment is
Not a Collection
Development
Rubric
Miller Test guidelines for a jury or judge to
determine if an item is obscene:
(1) whether the average person applying
contemporary community standards would
find the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the
prurient interest;
(2) whether the work depicts or describes, in a
patently offensive way, sexual conduct
specifically defined by the applicable state law;
and,
(3) whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks
serious literary, artistic, political or scientific
value.
Why do we bring an item into the collection in
the first place?

41. Civil Rights and
Human Rights
Is there a rights-affirmative pathway to collection
development, display, and meeting room use?
• Title II of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination
based on race, color, religion, and national origin in
places of public accommodation.
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination
based on race, color, and national origin by programs
that receive federal financial assistance.
• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination
based on race, color, national origin, sex, and religion
by state and local government employers.

42. Forsyth County
Schools and
Title VI and
Title IX
USDOE Office for Civil Rights found that
the school climate around book bans
was hostile and discriminatory to
students and violated their civil rights.
• Title XI - gender and sex
• TItle VI - race and national origin
The OCR published a Resolution
Agreement to hold the board and
administration to support students’ civil
rights.
FC4ED coalition is committed to a local
watchdog role.

43. Vocabulary
Appropriate / Inappropriate vs.
Relevant
• Redefining “Relevance” to a
population based on age, origin,
identity, and/or subject matter
• Defining “Appropriate” and
“Inappropriate” for a particular
family choice
Can we make policies in line with Civil
Rights protections for protected
classes?

44. Dealing with
Challenges
from Inside
the Library
Library policies and school board policies
are the most-local expression of state and
federal the law and the Constitution.
Policies embed library values and civil
liberties.
Privacy, access, free expression, and equal
protection do not originate with libraries
and are not unique to libraries.
Go beyond virtues in your messaging.
Stand on mission, vision, and values.
Good people will disappoint you.

45. The Pre-Need
Memo
A general discussion of First Amendment
court cases about public libraries or
schools. There needs to be some
discussion about the differences between
public libraries and schools.
A review of state statutes and court cases
about obscenity and harmful to minors
relative to the exemptions or defense from
prosecution for libraries and education.
A review of relevant state statutes about
civil rights, human rights, discrimination,
and GLBT protections that may be
impinged by a categorical book ban.
A review of relevant state statutes about
libraries, the role of a Board relative to any
municipal authority, and any particular
nuances within your relationship.

46. What are your concerns?

47. John Chrastka, EveryLibrary
john.chrastka@everylibrary.org
312-574-0316
EveryLibrary.org
action.everylibrary.org
SaveSchoolLibrarians.org
FightForTheFirst.org
facebook.com/everylibrary
@everylibrary