Day: April 6, 2026

Preparing to talk about The Librarians

Alicia Abdul and Amanda Lowe

As I mentioned, I was selected by the NYS Writers Institute to participate in a panel discussing the great documentary The Librarians at Page Hall on the downtown UAlbany campus on Friday, February 20. Preparing to talk about the film had been on my mind for the two months since I had agreed to do so.

The only instruction I had in preparing to talk about The Librarians was to watch the film beforehand. I recorded it from its single PBS broadcast on February 9 and watched it a week later. (It’s available on PBS’ YouTube channel.) So I started looking at every piece of library-adjacent email I received, most of which was not applicable.

Here’s the Krause book ban list mentioned in the film, named for a Texas state legislator. 

I watched the video featuring “Christian Blauvelt of IndieWire, who sat down with director Kim A. Snyder, librarians Suzette Baker and Carolyn Foote, and Executive Producer Sarah Jessica Parker to discuss the Sundance-premiering documentary The Librarians. The conversation highlighted the courageous efforts of librarians standing against book bans and the cultural wars threatening intellectual freedom in America.”

Who IS this guy?

When the moderator introduced the three speakers, I was fascinated to hear about myself. He mentioned my 26+ years at the NY Small Business Development Center and my work with the Friends and Foundation of the Albany Public Library. Heck, he even mentioned my blog, quoting from that day’s post! It was weird;  I thought, “That guy sounds kind of interesting.”

But I still wondered about the questions, which I was told would be “softball questions.” I did not know what it meant, so I created a one-page cheat sheet for a few talking points.

I mentioned how SCOTUS disappoints. “Books covering topics such as transgender issues, race, and slavery will remain off shelves after Texas residents challenged the move. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from residents of Llano County after a judicial decision allowed local officials to remove 17 books from public libraries.
“‘No one is banning (or burning) books,’ Fifth Circuit Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan wrote. The Trump-appointed judge went on to say library patrons could buy a title or borrow it from a friend.” This person neither understands libraries nor book banning, I noted.
Another film
I referred to  *The ABCs of Book Banning, a short documentary I saw a few years back, which  “’follows the fight against book bans in America, specifically in Florida.’ This works because it is the children, many around the age of 10, who ‘express disappointment over losing access to vital titles on LGBTQ and racial issues, wars, and the realities of growing up.’”
I did manage to work in some snark about the Moms Against Liberty. Oops! I meant Moms FOR Liberty, which is now an “official partner of Freedom 250, the national, non-partisan organization leading the celebration of America’s 250th birthday.” Oy.
Ultimately, I was glad I did the gig, and really glad it was over. My wife and I had attended the Pre-Movie Meet Up at the Washington Tavern, sponsored by the Capital District Library Council, but I could barely eat anything because of nerves. It didn’t help when the lighting towards the stage was utterly blinding, and while it was somewhat rectified, I really couldn’t see anyone in the audience.

I was pleased to have shared the stage with Alicia Abdul of Albany High School and Amanda Lowe of the University at Albany Libraries. Alicia, I’ve known her for several years, and last saw her in January, when she was running the AHS blood drive for the American Red Cross, and I was a blood donor.  Amanda, I did not know, but she was a great participant as well.

Frank S. Robinson reviews The Librarians.

Ramblin' with Roger
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