Public Libraries Are Under Coordinated Political Attack Across Tennessee
Tennessee’s public libraries are facing organized, growing political pressure that is changing how libraries work, threatening staff, and putting the constitutional rights of readers at risk.
A new investigation by Library Journal reveals what is happening across the state: emergency library closures, threats to funding, political interference in what books are available, arguments on library boards, and growing public pushback. The story confirms what local advocates, librarians, and community members have been experiencing for months.
The crisis began with three letters from Secretary of State Tre Hargett to the Stones River Regional Library System in September and October 2025. These letters told libraries to review all children’s books for “age-appropriateness,” citing federal and state law and mentioning President Trump’s Executive Order 14168, which, as Library Journal points out, is not a law but guidance for federal agencies.
The October 27 letter directed all 26 libraries in the Stones River system to start these reviews immediately and send in final reports by January 19. It also threatened to take away state and federal funding, even though there were no clear rules for how to do the reviews. The result was library closures, confusion, and fear across the region.
The article explains how these new rules are connected to years of increasing anti-LGBTQ+ pressure in Rutherford County. In 2023, Murfreesboro passed a “decency ordinance” that made LGBTQ+ expression in public a crime, before it was repealed after an ACLU lawsuit. But the campaign did not stop there.
Former library supervisor Kristen Birckholtz told Library Journal that she was warned by her bosses not to order LGBTQ+ books and that, as a gay woman, she felt she had to “go back in the closet right away.” Books like The Antiracist Kid, Gender Queer, Flamer, and Maus were challenged. Library cards had age restrictions added, and all nonfiction books were labeled “adult,” which meant teenagers could not even borrow SAT study guides.
By October 2025, the Rutherford County Library System board was discussing the removal of its Freedom to Read policy and severing ties with the American Library Association, a standards-setting organization for libraries.
The December 1 board meeting described in the article lasted almost four hours and had more than 100 people in attendance. Library Director Luanne James asked for whistleblower protection, saying that Board Chair Cody York had told her to remove books and asked for private information about library users—claims York denied.
Meanwhile, York secretly hired the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a politically conservative legal group, without the board’s approval. The board later approved the contract after the fact in an 8–2 vote, even as public trust fell. Perhaps most alarming is that by the time of the meeting, staff had already picked out 2,200 books to remove from the shelves out of 80,000 in ciorculation. These books were hidden from the public catalog and could not be borrowed.
What Library Journal describes is not just a local argument. It is a bigger threat to public libraries as democratic institutions. Across Tennessee, libraries are seeing political directives replace professional standards. Board governance is being shaken by outside interference. Staff members are facing fear, retaliation, and censorship. Communities are losing access to knowledge, and our constitutional protections are at risk. These are the very reasons the Tennessee Freedom to Read Project was created—to help defend our libraries and keep them open for everyone.
This reporting supports the concerns raised by librarians, parents, educators, and community members across Tennessee—and highlights the urgency of working together, advocating for clear laws, and engaging the public. The Tennessee Freedom to Read Project will keep providing support, resources, and ways to organize so that libraries can stay open, professional, and protected for everyone. Please "Take the Pledge" and support Tennessee libraries through this time of crisis.
Read the full story, "Tennessee Library System Feels Repercussions of Hargett’s Title Review Directives," in Library Journal:
https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/tennessee-library-system-feels-repercussions-of-hargetts-title-review-directives