As long as I can remember, books have held a central place in my life. With every book read, more worlds open. Books represent solutions, escapes, and possibilities.
Written by Quendy Medlin, School Librarian
Photos of Hillary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library & Learning Center by Brian Chilson.
My younger days (and nights under the covers with a flashlight) were filled with the sleuthing of Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown, along with the adventures of Anne of Green Gables and Laura Ingalls. Long before the genre Young Adult or “YA” was a marketing goldmine, I raced through titles by Judy Blume, S.E. Hinton, Paula Danziger, and Lois Lowry. When I exhausted age-appropriate books, well before an “appropriate” age, I moved on to more controversial and complex titles: Forever, Go Ask Alice, Gone With the Wind, and adult fiction by Danielle Steel and Stephen King.
Exposure to challenging content didn’t damage me; it developed me.
My mother, a soft-spoken proper librarian with a deep love of history and literature, raised me among the stacks with my nose stuck in a book. One of my fondest memories is attending the 1994 American Library Association convention with her in New Orleans. I never imagined I’d follow her career path—louder and less petite than she—but her presence and quiet wisdom are with me every day. Five years ago, I became the librarian at England Elementary School. I wish she was here to mentor me now.
Books, libraries, and librarians are at risk.
Censorship, book bans, and book challenges are on the rise. Libraries are losing funding. The IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services), which is the only federal agency dedicated to libraries, archives, and museums, was eliminated through an executive order on March 14, 2025. Though the order has been challenged in court, the fact it was issued at all should concern anyone who values free access to information.
Librarians, once respected members of their communities, are under increasing stress due to harassment and challenges of their professional judgment. Many states are proposing laws to convict librarians of felonies if found guilty of having a book deemed “inappropriate” or “harmful to minors” amongst their stacks. Act 372 in Arkansas threatened to make librarians felons. While the law’s most dangerous parts were deemed unconstitutional, the legislature sent clear warning to librarians: “Fall in line, or else.”
The idea that a politician or parent should dictate what entire communities can read undermines the very core mission of libraries: to provide access to information for everyone.
As a school librarian, I understand the importance of selecting age-appropriate materials. That’s my job. I see students every day who feel different or isolated. They need and deserve to see themselves in stories and denying books that reflect diverse identities and experiences sends the message that those people don’t exist—or shouldn’t. That’s why I won’t remove a book because it includes a gay character, tackles racism, or uses uncomfortable language. That’s not education; that’s erasure.
Book challenges turn into book bans, and history has shown where that path leads. We must teach children to think critically, seek truth, and empathize with others. That only happens when they’re exposed to a wide range of voices and ideas. It’s been proven time and again that reading diverse texts is one of the best ways to gain empathy. Libraries provide opportunities to look at many perspectives, open horizons, and bring people together.
Every parent has the right to guide their child’s reading. But no parent should have power to decide what other children access.
Despite my love for books and a strong academic background, nothing fully prepared me for the challenges of being a school librarian.
I deeply understand how vital formal training is to maintaining well-run, accessible school libraries that serve every student. I accepted my job on a waiver, giving me two years to earn my credentials. I enrolled in Southern Arkansas University’s Library Media Information Specialist program and I floundered my first two years—I had no idea what I was doing! Thankfully, I grew into my role with the support of mentors, colleagues, and peers. Politicians who want to remove or lessen the rigorous requirements to become a librarian should try being a librarian.
Levi Coffman (left) and Elizabeth Newbern (right), librarians at the Hillary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library and Learning Center in Little Rock, greet visitors with warm smiles.
In the digital age, it’s easy to think of librarians and even libraries as obsolete, but they’re more essential than ever! Disinformation floods our feeds. Artificial Intelligence-generated media that blurs fact and fiction can fool the best of us. Libraries and trained librarians are one of the few remaining defenses against misinformation, especially in rural or low-income communities where reliable access to the internet and educational resources is limited.
I’ve seen firsthand how libraries serve as lifelines. In many small towns in Arkansas, they’re the only public spaces offering free internet, help with job applications or government forms, and providing community-building programs such as children’s story time and summer reading programs. They serve as a bridge between socio-economic and social class divides and are trusted members of the community.
Libraries are one of the last free, public spaces that exist for everyone—regardless of age, race, religion, ability, or income. To attack them is to attack access to truth, community, and opportunity.
We are at a crossroads.
The freedom to read, to explore ideas, and to grow through knowledge is under threat at the federal, state, and local levels. As a librarian, I urge all of us to defend the institutions and professionals who make that freedom possible. And if you haven’t been to your local library in a while, go back. You may be surprised by how much it still has to offer—and just how much we stand to lose if we let it disappear.
Explore Your Library: Your local library is more than books—it’s connection, opportunity, and a doorway to worlds you may not yet know. Take a moment to explore, support, and celebrate the places that keep knowledge free and open to all:
References
- Associated Press. (2024, December 23). Judge rules Arkansas law allowing criminal charges against librarians is unconstitutional. AP News. Retrieved June 25, 2025, from https://apnews.com/article/arkansas-books-librarians-obscenity-lawsuit-c05fc196fe4ba9c6ffe83d3287bc0d2f
- Cole, J. Y. (2017). History of the Library of Congress | About the Library of Congress. Library of Congress. Retrieved June 25, 2025, from https://www.loc.gov/about/history-of-the-library/
- Costa, R. (2025, June 8). Former Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden speaks out on her firing by Trump. CBS News. Retrieved June 29, 2025, from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/former-librarian-of-congress-carla-hayden-speaks-out-on-her-firing-by-trump/
- Ruziyeva, S. (2025, January 19). Why Reading Fiction Improves Empathy and Communication Skills. WHY READING FICTION IMPROVES EMPATHY AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS | Modern education and development. Retrieved June 29, 2025, from https://scientific-jl.com/mod/article/view/100
Quendy Gibbins Medlin grew up in England, Arkansas, where she graduated from England High School and then went on to get a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Harding University. After spending 17 years as a store manager for a couple of successful companies, she pivoted to a career in public education, earning her Master’s in Middle Childhood Education from UALR. Quendy taught 7th grade English in Fort Smith before surprisingly ending up back in her hometown in 2017. She took the job as the England Elementary School Librarian in 2020 and earned her Master’s in Library Media Information Services from SAU. Following in her mother’s footsteps as a librarian, she loves her students and library. Quendy also serves as an England city council member and as the secretary for the Friends of the Public Library in England. Outside of work, Quendy loves traveling, reading, writing, exploring with the top down in her beloved Volkswagen convertible, and spending time with friends, family, and her two spoiled dogs.
