Posted on July 14, 2022 at 3:57 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
It's no surprise, sadly, that librarians are leaving the profession in the face of rising — in frequency and intensity — challenges to books.
The New York Times spoke to several librarians across the US who shared the harassment and false accusations they've faced, prompting them to quit their jobs.
And in at least one case, the resignations have prompted a library to actually close.
Vinton, Iowa — yes, you might recognize it as the location of Mary Ingalls's school — closed its library on July 8, reports Iowa Starting Line.
It started in July 2021, when the then-director found a different job elsewhere after the complaints about material in the library turned personal.
Her successor was one of ten librarians to win the American Library Association's I Love My Librarian Award, but it only took months before residents began accusing her of having an agenda.
A longtime staffer took over as interim director, but then found a job elsewhere, leaving the Vinton library with no full-time staff.
So as not to leave you feeling completely hopeless, though, here's a rare bit of good news out of Ukraine.
According to the Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Lesia Ukrainka Public Library has launched a project (with several partners) to deliver books to Ukrainian kids and adolescents who have fled the Russian invasion of their country.
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Categories: Today in Books