The hill you die on in your career

[Anonymous]

I'm being legislated to do this. I have to have certain (and I'm not sure which ones, I'll have to read them all) books removed from my 11,000 book library by Jan 1 or I face disciplinary action.
Censorship is something I signed up to fight for, yet, I have no choice but to quit, and then someone else would just do it and I'd lose my pension.
Not sure I can do it.

[Anonymous]

Where are these 11,000 books? Is this censorship, or a way to reclaim space in the office?

[Anonymous]

Wow. I'm so sorry.

I think you should only die on this hill if you're willing to go out with a bang and alert the media to make a story out of it and try to push for change at the public support level. It sounds like you may be a public, school, or civil service librarian so that's probably very much against your training and inclinations, but there's no point in getting fired quietly.

I am a fed (on vacation today) and think about where the line is for me sometimes. It would be really hard to walk away as the main earner for my family. I don't envy you this choice and hope that whatever you do you can find some way (even through activism as a citizen outside your job) to live with it both morally and financially.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think you should quit over it and let yourself be replaced by someone who doesn’t care.

If I were you, read them, and thought this was wrong (as in they’re not inappropriate sexual material written for kids) I would make a poster series promoting the books so kids can find them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where are these 11,000 books? Is this censorship, or a way to reclaim space in the office?

in a school library.
Censorship.

[Anonymous]

You should do it, and document it. Loudly.

Like, show your first stack of 10. Show yourself reading (time lapse/cute video), show yourself placing them onto shelf.

Show the empty shelves with the 10 books on it (plus multiple copies I assume).

Don’t show ID or your face.

[Anonymous]

Cute was supposed to be “cut”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should do it, and document it. Loudly.

Like, show your first stack of 10. Show yourself reading (time lapse/cute video), show yourself placing them onto shelf.

Show the empty shelves with the 10 books on it (plus multiple copies I assume).

Don’t show ID or your face.

Disagree. Have the courage of your convictions.

Be sure to burn a Bible and an American flag too.

[Anonymous]

Are you a librarian? If so, join the many other librarians faced with this and publicize the hell out of it; start your own independent non-school library where anyone can read the 11,000 books. You don’t have to read any of them, that’s not the point. Librarians are under attack and yes you should at least fight on this hill.

[Anonymous]

Assuming that OP is a librarian: thank you for being willing to make a stink about this. Agreed that you should definitely make an issue about it and get the press involved. Use your name and face. Censorship of books should not be happening in a democratic society.

I don't hire librarians, but I am sure that someone would be happy to hire someone who believed this strongly in freedom of information access.

[Anonymous]

Don’t quit your job, do what they ask, but under protest. If they fire you for protesting, it’s wrongful termination, and you’ll have standing to sue

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you a librarian? If so, join the many other librarians faced with this and publicize the hell out of it; start your own independent non-school library where anyone can read the 11,000 books. You don’t have to read any of them, that’s not the point. Librarians are under attack and yes you should at least fight on this hill.

Reading is fundamental. She isn’t removing 11,000 books from her library. Her library CONSISTS of 11,000 books, which she needs to go through to cull certain titles a legislature has decided shouldn’t be there. It’s most likely material in a school deemed inappropriate for children because it deals with issues like transgenderism or sexually explicit material. I don’t agree with it but no one has banned 11,000 books.

[Anonymous]

Consult a lawyer?
If a baker in Colorado can refuse to make a wedding cake for a made up gay couple based on beliefs, you should be able to refuse to remove books

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t quit your job, do what they ask, but under protest. If they fire you for protesting, it’s wrongful termination, and you’ll have standing to sue

Do not listen to this. Firing someone for protesting a job duty is not wrongful termination.

[Anonymous]

Weaponized incompetence.

Start reading the 11k books. Slowly. Keep track of each one. Only read them when you're on the clock and have absolutely nothing else to do.

Even if you find one that crazies may find "questionable," make a note that it seems fine and keep going. Make them come back and tell you that they thought the boy bunny rabbit had hair that was too long. Say "Oh, I missed that. Thank you for pointing it out." Put it in a pile that will take 2 years to go through.

The key to this is to document EVERYTHING so that you can 100% say you were following instructions and they can't prove otherwise.

If you choose not to publicize your name and jeopardize your job and retirement, I don't blame you. You're not fighting a principal or even a school district. You're fighting a huge political machine.