Right-Wing “See You at the Library” Event Back in 2025; Partners with US Department of Education

Brave Books is hosting its third “See You at the Library” event on Saturday, August 16, 2025. The now-annual event, which includes readings from “Pro-God, Pro-America” books, is a nationwide story hour that the right-wing publisher encourages its followers to host at local public libraries. Kirk Cameron and other Brave Books authors have starred as the face of the event since its inception in 2023.

However, this year’s event will feature a new partner in the initiative.

Screenshot from the See You at the Library website.

According to the See You at the Library website, the event is “In partnership with the Department of Education at the Library of Congress.” The language here is intentionally vague. As of writing, no storytime is scheduled at the Library of Congress for August 16, 2025. The Department of Education is also not a part of the Library of Congress, nor does it have any authority over the Library of Congress, and vice versa. Likewise, the map of storytimes on the See you at the Library website does not currently indicate any events on that day anywhere in the District of Columbia.

It’s not out of the question this is true. The Trump administration has taken over the Department of Education. Press releases from the Department included quotes from Moms For Liberty, who were especially excited about the new DEI snitch line intended to scare and intimidate professional educators from doing their jobs. The Department’s social media presence is a host of conspiracy theories and right-wing partisan politics paraded as fact.

Just two years ago, Brave Books claimed that the Department of Education funded public school “transitioning” programs, citing a story from the Daily Mail, a right-wing tabloid.

What Is “See You at the Library?”

See You At The Library aims to stoke the moral panic around public institutions such as libraries no longer honoring “viewpoints that are foundational, time-honored, and true” in favor of “the more radical.” The events are positioned as “wholesome,” with the intent to paint the other programs and activities held at those libraries as something else entirely.

After the American Library Association responded to these events last year and the prior year, Brave Books and its author are more determined than ever to “prove” that their freedom of speech is being squashed when these events are denied at public libraries. At the center are children, who have been convenient pawns in the war on information and access to inclusive materials, events, and spaces.

Brave Books’s slate of titles aims to express a right-wing ideology, and a star within conservative circles writes each. Among the titles are Little Lives Matter, Elephants Are Not Birds, and Unmuzzle Me, Please.

From the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the event:

Most events have included a time for patriotic practices like the Pledge of Allegiance and singing God Bless America. Some have included time of worship, prayer, and guest speakers and readers by other prominent authors and Christian/conservative voices. This movement mobilized thousands of families who were grateful for the much-needed biblical and Patriotic message that Kirk [Cameron] delivered. This movement comes together as one every year with “See You at the Library.”

The problem is that these are not only blatantly partisan events–something that many libraries outline in their policies as not allowed in public meeting rooms–these events also aren’t about freedom, liberty, or religious beliefs. They’re about selling Brave Books.

Although the See You at the Library event FAQs repeat that any books of “virtue” are welcome, they are also loaded with reminders that this is an event for Brave Books.

Even though other morally wholesome books are welcome for a Brave Books story time, what that means is limited in scope. Again, per the FAQs:

Brave Books is also tied to SkyTree Book Fairs, a right-wing “alternative” to Scholastic Book Fairs. Scholastic Book Fairs have been a target of these groups, much like library books have been for several years.

Hosting at Public Libraries Is Intentional

Over the years, meeting room policies have become hot topics in libraries. Can anyone reserve a room? Do those who reserve a room need to have a library card? Can limits be placed on the kinds of groups and events that can be hosted in these publicly-funded rooms? These questions have merit and value, especially when considering how taxpayer money is used. A for-profit business setting up an event in the public library meeting room may be in direct conflict with the values of the public library.

This is why Brave Books relies on other people to reserve the rooms at the library and provides the language to use when asked about the event. Interestingly, though, their FAQs about what volunteer hosts are supposed to say when they book the event are in direct conflict with one another: are they or aren’t they hosting a Brave Books story hour?

For the release of Cameron’s first title with Brave Books, the publisher and its marketing company, Amplifi Agency, attempted to rent rooms at several public libraries. They claimed that over 50 public libraries denied their offer to host story times. But this wasn’t true. Scarsdale Library in New York explained what happened: Cameron, Brave Books, and Amplifi thought they were above the policy and ignored the formal process for using a room.

Cameron then claimed victory when he successfully rented rooms at other public libraries. Among them were the Sumner Public Library in Tennessee, where the director was fired for “unkind pushback,” and the Indianapolis Public Library, where he was initially denied. Cameron claimed the denial happened because of his race and the messages in his book; the truth is far more complicated and related to policies that he and his team chose to ignore.

What gets tricky and is worth emphasizing here is when the Freedom of Speech butts heads against Freedom of Religion and more, where both intersect with the Separation of Church and State. This is why libraries emphasize that groups are responsible for their events and why they cannot suggest the library is hosting, sponsoring, or in any way connected to it.

This year’s August 16 events, being mass-coordinated by anyone who wishes to set up a story time at their local public library, are once again a ripe opportunity for all of these elements to clash and for right-wing “activists” to proclaim that a taxpayer institution is discriminating against them. Brave Books has developed a resource kit for anyone wishing to put together one of these story times, and they have set up a map for people to drop pins for confirmed events. Doing this inevitably connects the public libraries with Brave Books, and given how few people know the actual intricacies behind library policy — and indeed, with people of this particular persuasion not wanting to care about them — the flames are about to grow hotter.

So far, over 30 libraries across the US will be lending space to Brave Books in 2025, where they will host their See You at the Library events. Among them are Patterson Public Library (CA), Llano County Library (TX), Pueblo City-County Library District – Pueblo West Branch (CO), Somonauk Public Library (IL), Maple Grove Library – Hennepin County Library (MN), Ballston Community Public Library (NY), and more.

How Can Libraries Prepare for “See You At The Library?”

Libraries would be best served by reviewing their current meeting room policies. Ensure all rules and guidelines are followed if your facilities allow Brave Books events. Meet with your legal representation on what requirements you can and cannot make of those requesting rooms (specifically around security — someone like Cameron, via his profile, is a public safety concern but also, knowing that increased law enforcement at the public library is antithetical to the tenants of librarianship and is an impediment for the use of the facility by marginalized individuals, what do you do?). Likewise, ensure every staff member working on August 16 is aware of what’s happening–it is not out of the question that those eager to vilify library workers as “groomers” or “indoctrinators” may choose to peruse the facility outside of the event. Taking photos inside the library, including of staff, wouldn’t be out of the question. Insight about First Amendment audits can be helpful for thinking through these tricky situations and scenarios.

Over the next few weeks, take the time to talk with staff about responding to inquiries about hosting events such as these and make sure everyone is on the same page. Prepare public statements to address questions and concerns that may arise. Ensure all levels of library workers know what’s at stake right now. These are coordinated efforts to prove a point; in the sake of Cameron and Brave Books, it’s to find a “gotcha” with censorship. If you don’t give them what they want, they can cry censorship, even if they are the perpetrators who purposefully subvert the rules and policies.

Libraries cannot rest on their laurels of public perception. They need to ensure they’re building robust and inclusive policies and procedures that protect the interests of every patron and staff member.

As we’ve seen throughout the country, truth does not matter to those bent on their messaging and their right-wing values of authoritarianism. But your institution can continue to be a bastion of light by upholding your standards and policies, advocating for First Amendment Rights of all — not just those with the most money and political sway — and you can continue to educate your patrons about why some books get purchased and included in the collection while others, like those published by Brave Books, do not.

It has been a challenging year for libraries nationwide, following several previous years of unprecedented challenges against these institutions. Events like See You at the Library only fuel the manufactured panic with real consequences.