We all have those moments where we wonder, what can I do to help the current state of the world? Especially for college students, it can often feel like we are trapped in a bubble. Well, around this time last year, news began floating around that funding for the Public Broadcast Service (PBS), as well as for National Public Radio (NPR), was being cut. Believing in freedom of information and realizing that I have my own adult income, I realized I could do something and became a donating member. This, in turn, got me access to their streaming service, which was an unexpected perk. Fast forward to this year, where a documentary called “The Librarians” caught my attention.
Now, those who know me know that documentaries are usually pretty far down on my watchlist; I tend to enjoy a more fictional tale. However, given that my ideal career is to be a librarian, this one moved to the top as soon as I heard about it. (It also didn’t hurt that watching it would give PBS more viewership).
“The Librarians” is a 2025 documentary directed by Kim A. Snyder, which chronicles the rise in book banning across the country and the effect it has had on the children, the parents and particularly the librarians. The film won awards at multiple film festivals over the past year, and went on the PBS streaming service on Monday, Feb 19.
From an informational standpoint, the film does its research. The crew has interviews from not just the librarians themselves, but also students, local pastors and parents on both sides of the issue. (It was this last category that impressed me the most, showing that the perspectives of everyone involved builds a stronger argument and shows that this information isn’t being pulled from a vacuum).
The producers also do an excellent job of pulling together supplementary footage from several varying sources, making the documentary feel more complete. There are some clips, for example, from the film “Fahrenheit 451,” as well as news footage and even archival recordings of school board meetings. All of this variety in information lives up to the people the film is showcasing, and makes the story more engaging, as the viewer isn’t just sitting and listening to interviews the whole time.
The documentary as a whole is enlightening. It showcases this issue from a narrative-based perspective and does a good job of telling a well-rounded story. I would highly recommend checking this out and supporting freedom of information in both the program and the content.
The views expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of The Torch.
link