RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — Several Rutherford County libraries are closing for a week as staff comb through hundreds of children’s and juvenile books and material to ensure they comply with federal orders and new state requirements.
NewsChannel 5’s Rutherford County reporter Aaron Cantrell checked in with parents and community members, including Lindsay Schultz — owner of The Spine Bookshop — and Rebekah Woodard, a mother who showed up with several of her children hoping to visit the Smyrna Public Library.
Off Lowry Street in Smyrna, The Spine Bookshop sits “across from Wendy’s with the bright yellow doors,” Schultz said.
Schultz has been outspoken about book bans in Rutherford County schools and even dedicates an entire section of her shop to books that have been restricted elsewhere.
“People should see what is being taken from them. What they are being told they shouldn’t read,” she said.
Now, she’s speaking out about the latest task assigned to librarians by Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett — reviewing children’s materials for anything that could violate state age-appropriateness laws, diversity, equity and inclusion rules, or President Trump’s executive order on “gender ideology.”
“I feel like it’s just an excuse to control people by banning books and censorship,” Schultz said. “I don’t think it has anything to do with age appropriateness.”
According to the Secretary of State’s office, a letter went out to all 181 libraries in Tennessee’s Regional Library System, spanning 91 counties, requesting the review. A spokesperson said the office has received complaints for several years regarding library materials.
In Rutherford County, the Smyrna Public Library closed this week for what staff called “emergency inventory.” Next week, the Linebaugh Public Library will be closed from Monday, 11/17/25 to Friday, 11/21/25.
“We saw the sign out front that said it was closed for emergency inventory,” Woodard said.
Woodard supports the review, even if it disrupted her family’s visit.
“This is our local library — we come here often. We love, love our library,” she said. “My kids are avid book readers, and there have been many times we had to look through the books to make sure it fits within our beliefs. I was very pleased to hear that some things promoting gender ideology will be removed from our libraries."
Schultz disagrees.
“It’s your right to decide what your child should or shouldn’t read,” she said. “But it’s not your right to decide what I or my child can read — that’s my job.”
Each year, roughly $3.1 million in state and federal funds are distributed to Tennessee libraries for materials. Schultz said she understands libraries must comply with state rules to continue receiving those grants.
“It’s either do it or lose your job,” she said. The Smyrna Public Library is expected to reopen Monday. .
A spokesperson for Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s office said:
"For the last several years, our office has received complaints inquiring about library collections, and we consistently refer people to the policies of their local libraries.
We want all Tennesseans to have confidence in the materials collections as curated by the local library directors and their respective library boards.
This level of local decision-making helps build a strong library collection that reflects its community.
Often, out-of-state corporate publishers designate books and materials to be cataloged for certain age groups, and we believe that local libraries can best determine where books and materials are placed in the collection.
The October letter sent from the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office was sent to all 181 libraries in the Tennessee Regional Library System across 91 counties, and requests that they conduct a review of their children’s collection.
Each year, state and federal funds of approximately $3.1M are distributed across Tennessee for the purpose of purchasing library materials.
For some additional context, the Rutherford County Library System is the only one within our regional system that has announced they have chosen to close for this review."
This story was reported by reporter Aaron Cantrell and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Aaron and our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy
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