Banned Books Week, observed Oct. 5-11, has come and gone, but its message deserves to linger. Across La Plata and Montezuma counties, public libraries continue to champion one of democracy’s core values – the right to read freely. As efforts to restrict access to books grow louder nationwide, librarians have become quiet heroes on the front lines of free speech.
Locally, the Durango, Cortez, Mancos and Dolores public libraries all recognized Banned Books Week, with some extending displays and programming through October. Each reaffirmed a commitment to intellectual freedom and the open exchange of ideas.
In Durango, Assistant Director Daisy Grice said the library strives “to shine a light on the escalating efforts to ban and censor books in schools, libraries and bookstores nationwide.” Those efforts, she said, often target materials about race and LGBTQ+ experiences. “We believe it’s essential our collection reflect a diversity of lived experiences.”
In Cortez, Library Director Beth Edson said staff members are “always mindful of the importance of intellectual freedom and everyone’s right to read,” adding that the library proudly upholds the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, which affirms access to ideas “even those that may be considered controversial.”
From Mancos, Director Jared Boudreaux noted that “nearly every idea can be offensive to someone, but that doesn’t mean we should hide them away. Books give us a chance to confront different perspectives and understand the world a little better.”
That belief is reaching young readers, too. The Mancos Public Library’s Student Intellectual Freedom Club meets Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 4:30 p.m., inviting area teens to discuss banned books and the right to read. Boudreaux said the program helps students “make a difference and take control of what they can and can’t read.”
Dolores Library Director Sean Gantt adds that “knowledge is power, and access to knowledge is an important part of being an American citizen. Attempts to curtail access are antithetical to our freedoms.”
The ALA’s Bill of Rights, adopted in 1939, declares that libraries must present all points of view and challenge censorship in any form. Those ideals have made libraries targets of the same organized forces that have turned school board meetings into battlegrounds. In 2023, the ALA documented 4,240 unique book challenges, a 65% jump from the year before. PEN America reports more than 23,000 bans since 2021.
Many of the targeted titles would surprise readers: “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “1984,” “Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl,” “Beloved,” “The Color Purple,” “The Holy Bible” – even The Dictionary.
One recent victory shows what’s at stake. Earlier this month, Terri Lesley, former director of the Campbell County Public Library in Gillette, Wyoming, won a $700,000 settlement after being fired in 2023 for refusing to remove LGBTQ+ books. After 27 years of service, she endured harassment and slurs before ultimately being vindicated – a reminder that defending the right to read can come at personal cost.
A new documentary, “The Librarians” captures this national struggle. The film follows library workers in Texas and Florida as they face harassment and laws aimed at criminalizing their work. These are not radicals but community members honoring their professional oath “to resist all efforts to censor library resources.” The documentary makes clear that controlling ideas is the first step toward controlling communities.
Here in Southwest Colorado, our libraries remain open, inclusive and welcoming to all. They are not political institutions but guardians of democracy – spaces where the freedom to think, question and learn still lives. The Herald’s editorial board applauds the librarians of Durango, Cortez, Mancos and Dolores for holding that line.
A library’s shelves may contain something to offend everyone. That’s not a flaw; that’s freedom.
