By: Ellie Diaz 

Roll out the red carpet and dig into the popcorn — The Mooresville Public Library made its staff members the stars of its Banned Books Week promo trailer.

The Indiana library published its 2016 Banned Books Week trailer on Sept. 14, featuring staff members holding banned books in front of a “lineup” background. The video, published on the library’s YouTube channel, joins other banned book promos that date back to 2010.

Casey O’Leary, director of programs and youth services at Mooresville Public Library, thought of the idea while searching for Banned Books Week inspiration on Pinterest. She sent out an email informing coworkers that they were taking pictures during the staff meeting on Wednesday. Staff was eager to participate, explained O’Leary, and some even messed up their hair for the jail-themed photos.

“Everybody had a great time, and I got the same response [from staff] that we get from patrons: ‘Oh that book is banned? Who would challenge ‘The Wizard of Oz’?” said O’Leary. “It’s interesting that we all work in the library, and yet they’re still surprised that people would want to remove a book so no one would read it.”

Bill Buckley, the adult information and reference services manager, compiled the photos and added footage from previous years’ videos. By lunch, the team had a cinematic gem to promote on social media. From Sept. 15 to Oct. 1, Buckley plans to post one photo a day on the library’s Facebook and Twitter accounts of staff members holding banned books.

O’Leary explained that the promo trailer was a team effort, and she’s appreciative that her community will celebrate Banned Books Week.

“It’s a part of working in a library that not everyone hears about,” said O’Leary. “Our library is in a fairly conservative community, but people really value the freedom to read and people’s privacy.”