Think working in a library is easy? The truth is libraries are facing unprecedented upheavals in 2023 including an astronomical rise in challenges to books and programs, threats to staff and patron safety, calls from legislators to pull library funding, and much more, mostly in an effort to prevent libraries from representing marginalized communities. Moderator Betsy Gomez (Office of Intellectual Freedom) will provide ripped-from-headlines topics for panelists Moni Barrette (president, GNCRT; co-founder, Creators Assemble!), Mychal Threets (supervising librarian, Solano County Library), Xaime Aceves Equihua (associate therapist), and Jack Phoenix (collection development manager, Cuyahoga Falls Library; author, Maximizing the Impact of Comics in Your Library) to discuss what is happening, why, how library workers can protect the freedom to read, and how the public can help.
