Since 2021, PEN America, an organization that works to protect access to literature, has tracked more than 22,000 cases of book bans across 45 states and 451 school districts. Unfortunately, it’s likely that the number of books taken out of students’ hands is even higher.
In July 2022, librarian Amanda Jones spoke publicly against book censorship at a Livingston Parish, Louisiana Public Library Board meeting near her home. The attacks from conservative organizations that followed turned Jones into what she calls an “accidental activist,” a role she fulfills to this day.
On April 2, Stony Brook University Libraries hosted Confronting Censorship and Battling Book Bans, which included a screening of the 2025 documentary The Librarians and a discussion with Jones, who was featured in the film.
Funded by actress Sarah Jessica Parker and directed by Kim A. Snyder, the film sprang from Jones’ memoir of the same name.
“There are thousands of us out there,” said Jones. “We love teaching kids, we love the community, and we love to read. I think I have the best job in the world. I was just doing what we do, and then it all blew up.”
In her talk, Jones highlighted the systemic book banning and the role of extremist groups in these censorship campaigns, emphasizing the broader political motivations behind these efforts and linking them to Christian nationalism and authoritarianism.
The Librarians, which made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2025, addresses an unprecedented wave of book banning sparked in Texas, Florida and other states, where librarians under siege join forces as unlikely fighters for intellectual freedom with concerned community members and young readers. The film showcases the vital role librarians play as defenders of democracy and First Amendment rights, focusing on the growing wave of censorship across the U.S.
Jones, who has worked in the library of the school she attended as a child for the last 25 years, said she grew up in the 1980s during the “satanic panic.”
“People would say ‘you play Dungeons and Dragons? You’re going to hell!’ My parents were never like that. I got to read whatever I wanted.”
She described being inspired by a professor who instilled in her a love of reading.
“When I was in school the Harry Potter books had just come out, and as I read those, I knew that I wanted to be a school librarian,” said Jones. “It reignited the passion I have for reading and I wanted to bring that to others.”
In 2000, early in her career as a librarian, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire came out.
“Again, people were saying ‘you can’t read that, you’ll turn into a wizard,’” she said. “It didn’t make sense. We laughed because it was so ridiculous. But now the books they’re targeting aren’t about wizards, they’re about real people. And they’re not just attacking the books, they’re attacking the authors, the characters, the people who read them, and they’re attacking the librarians and the educators who put the books in their hands.”
Jones found herself in what she considered an un-American period that finds loyalty to party, person and religious faith superseding loyalty to the Constitution. She was targeted with aggressive attacks on her character, falsely accused of peddling porn to children and grooming sexual deviants. Jones noted that every single librarian depicted in the movie — many of whom are friends — has a group devoted to trying to destroy their lives, and that social media has exacerbated the situation.
“On social media everybody just says their thoughts with no filter, and there’s so much misinformation and disinformation,” she said. “I call it a ‘Cyclone of Everything,’ all sorts of factors coming together at once, and anything that gets in its way doesn’t matter. If you go against them, they will try to destroy your life.”
Karim Boughida, dean of Stony Brook University Libraries, said that the idea for the screening came from SBU community member Kathy Ishizuka, a journalist and former editor-in-chief and director at School Library Journal, and a FOLIO Top Women in Media honoree.
“We built on that idea and, working with Sam Horstmann [acquisitions specialist, University Libraries] and our team, decided to pair the screening with a conversation featuring a leading library activist,” said Boughida. “Amanda Jones was the natural choice. She is featured in the documentary and represents both the challenge and the courage of this moment.”
Jones was also a surprise recipient of the newly created Amanda Jones Award for Intellectual Freedom.
“Earlier in the day, Amanda met with library staff and faculty,” said Boughida. “During that discussion, Jennifer Adams, director of innovation at SBU Libraries, suggested creating an award, and I agreed immediately. So we created the Amanda Jones Award for Intellectual Freedom. Each year we will present this award, and we hope to welcome her back to participate in future ceremonies. As a defender of intellectual freedom, she is a hero.”
“I am humbled and honored to receive this award,” said Jones. “This recognition means more to me than I can fully express. It would be a privilege to continue being part of something so meaningful.”
David Wrobel, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, emphasized the importance of intellectual freedom, and the mission of higher education and libraries. He referenced the case of Summer Boismier, a former high school English teacher from Oklahoma whose teaching license was revoked in August 2024 following a high-profile controversy over book bans. Wrobel, a Steinbeck scholar, also noted that even works by iconic and influential authors like John Steinbeck have been repeatedly challenged and banned.
In the end, The Librarians is a cautionary tale and rallying cry for freedom. Jones plans to continue her advocacy despite the personal attacks and legal challenges she faces.
“I didn’t mean to become an activist, but my career looks a little different now,” she said. “I hate that they’ve done this to me, but after I retire, I hope to run for office and change all of this. But it’s an uphill battle in Louisiana, and it’s everywhere. But we keep plugging along and our alliance is growing.”
Boughida said they invited Jones and screened The Librarians because intellectual freedom is being challenged in real time, with libraries at the center of it.
“Book-banning is becoming systemic, it is no longer a set of isolated cases. It is organized, operating with a kind of industrial capacity, and engineered to reshape society through censorship and control,” he said. “Book bans are the canary in the coal mine. They signal a darker trajectory if left unchallenged. We felt it was important to create space for our community to engage directly with these issues, reflect and respond. Intellectual freedom, access and equity are core values of our profession.”
— Robert Emproto
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