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The Librarians

Play trailer Poster for The Librarians 2025 1h 34m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
95% Tomatometer 38 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
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 White Christian Nationalism 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.
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The Librarians

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Critics Consensus

The Librarians delivers an illuminating and alarming look at coordinated book bans in America, transforming a hard but necessary watch into a cautionary tale and a stirring call to action.

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Critics Reviews

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Wendy Ide Observer (UK) Oct 7, 2025
Depressing and alarming stuff. Go to Full Review Nell Minow RogerEbert.com Oct 3, 2025
3.5/4
This movie reminds us there is just one way to separate truth from propaganda: learning. Go to Full Review Sheri Linden New York Times Oct 2, 2025
From its superb opening-credits sequence paying tribute to card catalogs of yore to its sharp selection of vintage clips and intimate reportage, “The Librarians” is as well-crafted as it is profoundly alarming. Go to Full Review James Croot The Post NZ Jun 28, 2026
It’s necessarily not-exactly non-partisan, but Snyder ensures the compelling message is delivered in an engaging way. Go to Full Review Kathy Fennessy Video Librarian Magazine May 8, 2026
4/5
[Kim] Snyder makes a strong case that book bans benefit no one, especially the vulnerable, and that if allowed to proliferate, they can lead to other forms of censorship that make communities less safe. Go to Full Review Lee Zumpe Tampa Bay Newspapers Mar 22, 2026
The Librarians is unpleasant, but necessary viewing for anyone who doesn’t recognize that we’re standing on a very dangerous precipice. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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henry D @RT35136803 Jul 28, 2026 I'm a gay man, son of a refugee, and I don't want ANY kids exposed to books like the ones these kids were exposed to. Creepy and gross! This documentary will backfire on teachers like these as it should! Talk about a self-own! See more CL C @CampFire1968 May 27, 2026 This documentary about librarians in Texas and elsewhere trying to just do their job (fighting book banning) and getting fired and threatened had me yelling at the TV. Highlights heroes who never thought they would have to be heroes. See more Malgorzata L @RT81566868 May 13, 2026 Saw it at MDAGF in Gdynia, and I can't stop thinking about it. Shocking and thought-provoking. It made me angry and sad at the same time, as this is not what I've imagined librarian's work to look like in the XXI century. See more Tammy K @RT30208608 Mar 19, 2026 As a high school Social Studies teacher, I empathize with the people in this movie. We must protect the right to read and learn about ideas, topics, events, and people of all kinds. Perhaps the ones we most need to protect are the ones that make us uncomfortable. We have the right to limit what our own children are exposed to, but we absolutely do not have the right to put those same restrictions on other people's children. I thank God my parents allowed me the freedom to read a wide range of books growing up. I thank God for the libraries and the librarians who opened my world and provided those books. See more Agnes R @TheHikingBookworms Feb 10, 2026 An incredibly important documentary. It is incredibly sad. Mind blowing. Emotional. Scary. Moving. Motivating. Hopeful. I streamed it FREE on YouTube via PBS. Please watch it. It's relevant even if you dislike reading and/or books. You think you know, but you probably seriously don't know what's been going on. I'm close to my libraries. I know they've been under scrutiny and fire. But I did not know the extremes certain political groups and individuals have gone to. This isn't recent. It's been building. And it is ongoing. See more William K. @Koolbill Feb 5, 2026 Fabulous with a scary and timely message. See more Read all reviews
The Librarians

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Cast & Crew

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Kim A. Snyder

Director

Carolyn Foote

Self

Laney Hawes

Actor

Jeffrey Dove

Actor

Courtney Gore

Actor

Nancy Jo Lambert

Actor

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The Librarians

The Librarians (2025) The Librarians (2025) The Librarians (2025) The Librarians (2025) The Librarians (2025) View more photos

Movie Info

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 White Christian Nationalism 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.
Director
Kim A. Snyder
Producer
Kim A. Snyder, Janique L. Robillard, Maria Cuomo Cole, Jana Edelbaum
Screenwriter
Leo Muñoz, Claudio X. González, Jack Youngelson
Distributor
Independent Lens
Production Co
Good Gravy Films, Two Chairs Productions, Artemis Rising Productions, Pretty Matches Productions, World of HA Productions, The Brandt Jackson Foundation, iDeal Partners Film Fund, ITVS International, Independent Television Service, Cuomo Cole Productions, KA Snyder Productions, The Harnisch Foundation, Independent Lens
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 3, 2025, Limited
Runtime
1h 34m
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