After several years of Montgomery County Memorial Public Library and librarians being subjected to slander, doxing and harassment by politicians and activists calling for the restriction and removal of diverse and inclusive books- especially age relevant children's and young adult books that center LGBTQ+ and BIPOC perspectives- the County Commissioners voted to appoint one of their own- the elected County Judge Mark Keough- as the director of the public library system. Judge Keough proceeded to immediately terminate the employment of Montgomery County's library director- Rhea Young. 

Guest Blog Post by Montgomery County Library Supporter, Village Books Owner and friend of Texas Freedom to Read Project- Teresa Kenney

The Montgomery County Memorial Library System’s citizens review committee is once again on the Montgomery County Commissioners’ meeting agenda for October 22. We need everyone who is able to come out to court to speak out against the policy or to support those who do.

Here at Texas Freedom to Read Project we often feel disappointed and dismayed at the censorship attempts we see across the state, but we rarely feel surprised. However, this week, we learned about an incident that floored us. Thanks to the work of a concerned citizen, we discovered that the Montgomery County Citizens Review Committee (completely void of librarians) has ordered a juvenile nonfiction book- that documents American history from the perspective of the Wampanoag tribe-to be moved from the Juvenile Nonfiction Collection to the Fiction Collection of the Montgomery County Memorial Public Library.

Guest Post By Teresa Kenney

The Montgomery County Commissioners’ Court is meeting on the morning of Tuesday, October 8 and on the agenda is a request to revisit the Library Reconsideration Materials Policy. We will once again be in attendance to speak out against the policy—which gives the power of book censorship to five commissioner-court-appointed citizens without librarian oversight or the opportunity for citizen discussion.

If you are able to attend to speak out or show support, we welcome your participation. The court meets at 9:30 a.m. in the Alan B. Sadler Commissioners Court Building, 501 North Thompson, 4th Floor, Suite 402 in Conroe.