THE LIBRARIANS

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Join us for a viewing of THE LIBRARIANS, followed by a Q + A with the Director, Kim Snyder.

Doors open at 4:00 p.m.
Film Screening with Q+A: 4:15-7:30 p.m.
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Short Synopsis: 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. In Texas, the Krause List targets 850 books focused on race and LGBTQIA+ stories – triggering sweeping book bans across the U.S. at an unprecedented rate. As tensions escalate, librarians connect the dots from heated school and library board meetings nationwide to lay bare the underpinnings of a large-scale coordinated extremist movement fueling the censorship efforts. Despite facing harassment, threats, and laws aimed at criminalizing their work – the librarians’ rallying cry for freedom to read is a chilling cautionary tale.

About the Director/Producer: Kim A. Snyder | Director/Producer Kim A Snyder is an Academy Award nominee & Peabody Award-winning Director/Producer. Her latest feature documentary, THE LIBRARIANS, premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, and has been nominated for a 2026 Primetime Emmy®. THE LIBRARIANS has won 30 festival awards, was released theatrically in over 200 cities internationally, and broadcast on PBS/Independent Lens.

Her most recent short documentary, DEATH BY NUMBERS, was nominated for a 2025 Academy Award®. Snyder’s other acclaimed films include Us Kids (Sundance 2020), LESSONS FROM A SCHOOL SHOOTING (Best Short Doc Tribeca 2018, Netflix Original), NEWTOWN (Sundance 2016, Peabody Award, PBS/Independent Lens). She associate produced the Academy Award®-winning short TREVOR, which inspired The Trevor Project, a leading national nonprofit focused on LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention. Kim earned a master's degree in International Affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and resides in New York City.

Filmmaker Statement: Growing up, books and libraries saved me, shaping my belief in intellectual freedom. I remember organizing my books in rural Pennsylvania, inspired by the Dewey Decimal system. When I first heard about the Krause List in Texas in October 2021, targeting books on race, sexuality, and gender, I knew I had to act. The Librarians begins in Texas, ground zero for the rising wave of book bans, and takes viewers to Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, and beyond to reveal the full scope and toll of this censorship crisis. New laws threaten librarians nationwide, but a united resistance is forming among parents, and young readers. Our team believes this story must be told now to remind us of the core principles that uphold democracy. The brave librarians at the frontlines are risking their careers and freedom to protect access to information and defend our rights. This battle is about representation, freedom, and the preservation of our most basic constitutional rights.

Press Notes + Highlights:

"The Librarians shows what it looks like to refuse to be complicit. To use your power for good. To fight for every member of your community, even when it’s unpopular or dangerous." - LATINA MEDIA CO

"A gripping story of what is at stake when curiosity and thinking are endangered… It introduces viewers to the everyday and increasingly vital heroes pushing back." - VARIETY

Sponsors: RIT College of Liberal Arts, RIT College of Art and Design, RIT Libraries, RIT Access, Engagement, and Success, Center for Statesmanship, Law, and Liberty, ImageOut

Contact
Kerri Johnson
kerri.johnson@rit.edu

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