The Librarians

About the Documentary

When Texas lawmakers seek to review a list of books, librarians find themselves on the frontlines of a national battle. Across the U.S., librarians face the impact of uniting against library collection standards that include restrictions on race-related and LGBTQIA+ content. Drawing on historical context, The Librarians explores the broader implications for education and public life.

The Filmmakers

Kim A Snyder

Director/producer Kim A. Snyder is the Peabody Award-winning filmmaker of Newtown (Sundance 2016, Independent Lens, Netflix), Us Kids (Sundance 2020 and 14 subsequent awards), Lessons from a School Shooting… (Tribeca 2018–Best Documentary Short, Netflix Original, Grierson Award nominee), and Welcome to Shelbyville (Independent Lens).

Janique L Robillard

As a documentary filmmaker and creative producer, Janique L. Robillard’s passion has always been elevating marginalized voices through documentary storytelling—evidenced in her short films 1000 Times and From There to Here, and work with acclaimed directors like Kim A. Snyder (Death by Numbers) and Jeremiah Zagar (The Fix).

Maria Cuomo Cole

Peabody and Emmy Award-winning producer Maria Cuomo Cole’s credits include Death By Numbers (2024, Montclair – Best Short Doc), Us Kids (Sundance 2020), Lessons from A School Shooting… (Netflix), Newtown (Sundance 2016) and Oscar-shortlisted Living for 32 (2010). EP: The Hunting Ground (2015) and Oscar-nominated The Invisible War (2014).

Jana Edelbaum

Emmy and DuPont Award-winning producer Jana Edelbaum, founder of Ideal Partners, recently released Beyond Utopia (Sundance Audience Award, Hulu). Previous work includes: House of Z, Strange Weather, and Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage? She is producing the Alvin Ailey feature with Barry Jenkins (Searchlight) and Swifties feature.

Special Guest 

Kirby Mackenzie

Kirby MacKenzie is the librarian at Ellen Ochoa Elementary and has been a public school educator in Tulsa for 17 years.  Kirby was featured as a guest multiple times on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and was dubbed “Ellen’s Librarian”.  She was the 2023-2024 Union district Teacher of the Year. She is also the Assistant Director of the local literacy nonprofit, Gaining Ground, and can often be spotted driving around town in their book bus that has a slide! In 2023, an altered TikTok of Kirby’s was posted to an alt-right hate group’s Twitter account, after which she received 11 days of bomb threats to her home and her school. She was threatened with assault, violence, and even death for weeks, but continued to show up for her kids and community.  Her mission is to teach all Tulsa kids to love books and be kind by providing them with the best, most engaging, inclusive, and diverse books.

Meet your Host

Sydney Alison 

Sydney Alison is a Tulsa-based filmmaker and Producer’s Assistant at Kirkpatrick & Kinslow Productions. A University of Tulsa graduate with a B.A. in Film Studies (2020), she co-founded the TU Film Club, produced TUTV episodes, and worked on various film projects, including a Lionsgate feature and the Tulsa American Film Festival. Passionate about Oklahoma’s film industry, she actively supports local festivals while managing production, marketing, and coordination efforts at KKP.