♪♪
geoff: Screut dmi of -- scrutiny
of library books.
Louisiana, the fight over
banning books in public
libraries is escalating and
targeting librarians.
Christian groups are working to
take over the boards.
The state attorney general has
conducted an investigation into
what he called sexually explicit
materials in libraries.
We have been reporting on this
issue across Louisiana.
What is different in Louisiana
from what we are seeing in other
states?
Reporter: What we are seeing
here is that the battle over
books is focused on Louisiana
public libraries and more and
more librarians are finding
themselves under intense
scrutiny.
Law enforcement continues to be
used and the attorney general
has set up a tip line asking the
public to report librarians.
Jeff Landry also called for
legislation to restrict what
children and teens can check out
in public libraries.
This has fueled the effort by
conservative groups that are on
a crusade that expose children
to what they call pornographic
material and race, gender and
sexuality.
These groups are just not
attacking books.
More and more librarians have
come under increased scrutiny
for what's on the shelves.
The challenge in Louisiana
focused on titles for children
and young adults involving sex
education and books with lgbtq
themes.
Police have been called on Lieb
raryns and has been unsettling
for Tammy.
She has been a librarian for the
past 17 years and never seen
anything like it.
She was targeted online and
singled out by conservative
groups suggesting she was using
literature to groom children.
She says the criticism in more
than 150 book challenges in her
parish are an enormous strain on
her staff.
>> We are not pedphiles or
groomers and I can say that on
behalf of our staff.
That is not why we go into
public service.
We really are here to connect
our community with the resources
they may want or need and
knowing that a community has
lots of different voices and
different perspectives and we
provide materials for everyone.
Geoff: What have you learned in
your reporting that groups want
books removed or replaced?
Reporter: These are conservative
political groups and have a very
heavy online presence and have a
traditional notion of family
values and the other side said
it is krens soreship.
Quiet and unattended library
board meetings have been packed
and some have been arrested as
both sides debate library
content.
Some conservative members of
groups leading the book
challenges want to remove or
relocate books and take over
library boards with conservative
members and some groups are
making calls to defund libraries
that they say expose children to
dangerous materials.
>> Is this the reading material
that we want in our library?
Is this the type of information
to preserving our children's
innocence for however long we
can?
They're young and need
protection.
[Indiscernible]
We admire and respect the work
of a librarian.
We have been caring and
respectful.
Geoff: What is the national
picture concerning this national
book-banning effort.
Reporter: We checked with the
national library association and
they say the challenges of
library books have jumped from
400 books in 2017 to more than
1600 book challenges last year.
The A.L.A. Said the figures this
year are set to exceed last
year's totals.
A study about school book bans
said 41% of all bans about books
dealing with lgbtq topics.
We checked out what was
submitted to that library tip
line and reviewed 11,000
documents, most of it was spasm.
There was the entire script of a
B movie and a lot complaints
about attorney general Jeff
Landry.
Geoff: More of robe's reporting