On 1 July, American activist Leila Green Little was a guest in the KB, National Library of the Netherlands. She sued her county when they attempted to censor books in the local library. The KB is committed to freedom of information and invited Little for a conversation.
Freedom of information can no longer be taken for granted. Libraries and bookshops in the Netherlands increasingly experience intimidation over the contents of their collections. 1 in 7 writers in the Netherlands was a target of intimidation, aggression or threats in 2024. The new Common Collection Plan for Dutch libraries emphasises that information must remain accessible for everyone.
Little v. Llano County
In 2022, Little and a group of library members brought a lawsuit against her county, Llano County in the state of Texas. The county had made the library remove a number of books. Some of these books concerned subjects like racism, homosexuality and transgender community, but also children's books about buttocks and farts were taken off the shelves. At first, they won the case, but the county appealed and won after all. The Supreme Court of the United States could have overturned this, but refused to even hear the case.
"What does censorship look like? Censorship is banal. Censorship is a series of e-mails and handwritten notes. It does not come in waving a flag and saying I am a censor."
Leila Green Little
Little began the gathering in the KB, National Library of the Netherlands with a short history of her campaign and the results so far. The library in Llano County is now under the direct authority of the judge, she informed the audience. The budget has been severely cut, causing the library to be closed at night and during weekends. The collection has been censored further and only contains two books with LGBTQ themes now, but it does contain several picture books with themes of anti-abortion or a strict gender binary. Visiting numbers have cratered and the library's society of friends has been taken over by proponents of the new policies. They have drained the society's treasury and no longer organise any events. At a local level, Little is out of options in Llano County. She cannot change anything there without first changing society.
Interview
This was followed by a Q&A between Little and Wilma van Wezenbeek, Director general of the KB, National Library of the Netherlands.
"What is happening in America can also happen in the Netherlands. The right to freedom of information is under pressure here as well. As a national library, we defend that right, because it is a human right. Everyone is free to form their own opinions. You cannot do that without information. We collect and preserve everything written in and about the Netherlands so everyone can keep themselves informed."
Wilma van Wezenbeek
Little emphasised the importance of collaboration. Her lawsuit would never have taken off without her 6 fellow plaintiffs. But a broad coalition is also essential on a national and international level. To achieve anything, you need to convince those in power, and that is only possible when you stand together.
Censorship in the Netherlands
Parts of Little's story can be seen reflected in the Netherlands. An audience member remarks that books with titles like "Cooking bible" are stolen from the shelves of a library in the Bible Belt. This happens because people take offence to the use of the word "Bible" for non-religious volumes. It's important to start a dialogue with these people. Little agrees: "The answer is never less but always more. If you find a book morally offensive, don't ban it: give context for your views. If a library is organising a drag queen story hour and you disagree, organise your own bible-themed story hour instead."
Van Wezenbeek confirms this point: "100 years ago, we wrote very different things about equality and sexuality than we do now, and in another 100 years, we will most likely have really different views again. This makes it important to add context to the collection in the form of metadata. Metadata should never be deleted but only supplemented. This allows you to see what the original was intended to be like. This right to freedom of information must be defended."
Speak out
Speak out, was the message impressed upon the audience at the end. Tell people around you when you notice censorship and make yourself heard in your own organisation. Contact your elected representatives. Freedom of information is crucial. We must work together to protect this freedom.
