McHenry County Libraries United: Film Screening of "The Librarians"

Participate in an Indie Lens Pop-Up screening of the powerful movie, The Librarians, at MCC's Luecht Auditorium! A brief panel discussion will follow.

Librarians emerge as first responders in the fight for democracy and our First Amendment Rights. As they well know, controlling the flow of ideas means control over communities.  When Texas lawmakers seek to review a list of books, librarians find themselves on the frontlines of a national battle. Across the U.S., librarians face the impact of uniting against library collection standards that include restrictions on race-related and LGBTQIA+ content. Drawing on historical context, The Librarians explores the broader implications for education and public life.

This film is by Kim A. Snyder (Director/Producer), Janique L. Robillard (Producer), Maria Cuomo Cole (Producer), and Jana Edelbaum (Producer).  Run Time: 84 mins.

See https://thelibrariansfilm.com/

There will be a brief introduction and discussion following the film with Kelly Jensen and Kristin Pekoll.

Kelly Jensen is a Senior Editor at Book Riot, the largest independent book website in North America. She covers all things young adult literature and has written about censorship for over 10 years. She is the author of three critically-acclaimed and award-winning anthologies for young adults, including (Don't) Call Me Crazy, which won a Schneider Family Book Award honor and Body Talk, which has been banned in several school districts across the country. In 2024, she was named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker for her anti-censorship work. She earned  similar recognition for her work in 2022, when she was named a person of the year from Publishers Weekly and a Chicagoan of the Year by the Chicago Tribune. She has twice earned commendation from the American Association of School Librarians for her anti-censorship work. Prior to her work at Book Riot, Kelly was a public librarian for children, teens, and adults in several libraries in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin.

Kristin Pekoll is a former YA librarian from Wisconsin. For eight years she provided professional and emotional support to library workers experiencing bans and challenges as the assistant director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. She is the author of Beyond Banned Books: Defending Intellectual Freedom throughout Your Library published by ALA Editions in 2019. Currently she works with the Illinois Library Association as their Conference and Continuing Education Manager.  In her spare time, Kristin is actively involved in her kids’ schools and loves jigsaw puzzles and bonfires with neighbors.

McHenry County Libraries United presents an Indie Lens Pop-Up screening of The Librarians, in partnership with Algonquin Area Public Library, Cary Area Public Library, Crystal Lake Public Library, Harvard-Diggins Library, Huntley Area Public Library, Johnsburg Library, Marengo-Union Library, McHenry Public Library, Nippersink Public Library and Woodstock Public Library.