The 2021 School Librarian of the Year reflects on a busy year and promises to keep fighting censorship attempts and anti-library legislation in 2025.
Amanda Jones spent last year not just speaking out for libraries and intellectual freedom but actively fighting anti-legislation bills, traveling on a book tour to raise awareness about librarians under attack, and co-founding a nonprofit that aims to build school libraries around the world. All the while, the 2021 School Librarian of the Year was educating and supporting students at her Louisiana middle school and staving off personal and professional attacks.
In late December, she also celebrated a legal victory, and SLJ asked her to reflect on the events of the last 12 months and about her thoughts and plans for the new year.
In 2024, you became the face and voice of librarians being attacked and fighting back. What are your biggest memories of 2024?
I went to speak at my local public library [in 2022] and got thrust into a battle I did not choose. I’m not going to lie—I barely made it through that first year. The only reason I did was because of support from my family, friends, fellow librarians, and even strangers who have sent messages of support. I decided that life is what you make of it, and I refused to let them get to me. I somehow became the face and voice of librarians being attacked and of those fighting back. It’s not something I set out to do, but like Martin Luther King, Jr. said in his “What is your life’s blueprint?” speech, “And when you discover what you will be in your life, set out to do it as if God Almighty called you at this particular moment in history to do it. Don’t just set out to do a good job. Set out to do such a good job that the living, the dead, or the unborn couldn’t do it any better.” So that’s what I’m doing.
2024 was definitely a year to remember. I traveled a lot across the country and took a few friends and family with me along the way. Being able to bring my mom with me to speaking engagements in California and taking her to see the Golden Gate Bridge, a redwood forest, and the Pacific Ocean for the first time was a cherished memory.
I got to meet Judy Blume, Barbara Dee, Jody Picoult, Amy Tan, and Peter Parnell, all of whom are authors I admire.
One of the things I’m most proud of, besides helping defeat anti-library bills in the Louisiana legislature, is founding Librarians Building Libraries with my friends Andrea Trudeau and Tom Bober. Together we will help make a big difference for students in schools that do not have school libraries.
You are fighting back, but the attacks are not abating; as a matter of fact, they are accelerating in many ways. With that in mind, what are your thoughts heading into 2025? How do you plan to keep up the energy and mentality needed to keep fighting?
Every time I have success, or speak up for libraries, the attacks worsen, but that will not stop me. I made a decision that these people will have no power over me. Heading into 2025, I will keep on doing what I have tried to always do—defend libraries with empathy, integrity, and the truth. It can be very tiring both physically and mentally. But not to speak out and use the platform I’ve been given would be a waste of a privilege I have been afforded. It is not hard to keep fighting when so many people from across the country have sent me messages of support, but therapy and self-care are key. I splurge on a good massage when life starts getting too heavy!
Do you have a resolution or wish for the new year?
For 2025, I hope the court systems continue to side against censors and those pushing anti-library agendas. Books and stories can shape people’s lives and are worth fighting for, and everyone deserves to see themselves represented in the books on library shelves. School librarians teach every single child in their schools, and all students deserve to feel safe, loved, and seen. What a unique opportunity we have as school librarians to make that happen!
We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing
Add Comment :-
Be the first reader to comment.
Comment Policy:
Comment should not be empty !!!