Library Board Recommends Butcher as Director Amid Ongoing BookLooks Controversy

February 28, 2025

Jill Butcher in purple shirt at meeting — Assistant Library Director Jill Butcher explains “Blind Date with a Book,” a very popular library program. Photo by Jane Primerano.

Correction: Originally, we incorrectly stated that Tee Esposito-Jackson applied for a position at the library.

Jill Butcher has been recommended as the new director of the Warren County Library, pending county commission approval.

After an executive session, the library commission unanimously voted Tuesday, Feb. 25, to recommend Butcher for the director position. A second vote sent the recommendation to the county Board of Commissioners.

Butcher has been serving as interim director during the search for a replacement for Maureen Wilkerson. She previously served as assistant director for about 15 years of her 23-year tenure at the library.

Much of the meeting was taken up with public comment.

Public Concerns Over BookLooks Flyers

Public attendees who have been regularly attending monthly commission meetings continued to question the presence of flyers publicizing BookLooks.org, a website that lists books its creators consider inappropriate for young adults and juveniles. The flyers are displayed in multiple locations at each library branch.

Residents argue that BookLooks.org promotes book bans, particularly targeting books about the Holocaust, books by Black authors and books addressing homosexuality.

The “About” page on the BookLooks website says that it was created by parents frustrated by a lack of content-based information on books that are accessible to children in libraries. However, the site does not provide biographies or curricula vitae of its creators, contributor names or endorsements from established literary organizations. It does state that BookLooks.org is not affiliated with Moms for Liberty, an organization connected to 58% of all advocacy-led book bans in the country, according to PEN America, which tracks censorship and book bans.

Library Policies and Book Access

Commission Chair Elizabeth Thomas said the library commission does not ban books but does relocate certain books to areas they cannot be accessed by young children. PEN America’s definition of a book ban includes a book being placed off limits to some readers as well as those removed from general circulation. PEN America’s current and former trustees include Jodi Picoult, John Updike, Robert Caro, Jhumpa Lahiri and Lois Lowry.

In an interview after the meeting, Sandy Roberts, a founder of Warren County Freedom to Read, said the commission’s former attorney, Douglas Zucker of Weiner Law Group in Parsippany, previously advised that moving books to limit access based on non-expert opinions fits the legal definition of censorship and constitutes a book ban.

Zucker has since been replaced as commission attorney by Joseph Bell IV of Bell, Shivas and Bell in Rockaway Township.

The county subscribes to several established book review sources and lists, including Kirkus Reviews, which has been published since 1933 and is widely recognized as a credible industry-standard resource for authors, publishers, media, libraries, booksellers and readers, according to its web presence. The library also subscribes to Goodreads, which has more than 90 million members and Common Sense Media, which was founded in 2003 by experts in childhood development and media literacy. The Common Sense Media website promises no influence from media partners or funders. Additionally, the library references Booklist, a publication of the American Library Association since 1905.

The public did not object to any of these lists.

Holocaust Studies and Book Censorship Concerns

One of the flagged books on BookLooks that raised concerns among residents is Elie Wiesel’s “Night”, which is required reading in at least some middle schools in the county as part of New Jersey’s mandated Holocaust and genocide studies curriculum. The statewide initiative was championed in the state Assembly by Warren County’s own Chuck Haytaian.

Anna Babitsky, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, said she refuses to “stay silent to intolerance,” and called BookLooks a “hate site” that falsely labels great literature as obscene material

Babitsky, speaking after the meeting, expressed concern over rising ignorance, and even denial, of the Holocaust among young people.

Another daughter of Holocaust survivors, Judy Freger, reminded the commission of a warning from the 1930s: “They started with the books.”

Freger, who previously taught in North Carolina, recounted how members of Moms for Liberty took over the school board, banned large numbers of books and forced the resignations of dedicated teachers.

“Keeping knowledge from children doesn’t protect them,” she said. “Parents can make decisions for their own children, but not for others.”

“I’m doing this in honor of my father,” she added.

Other books flagged on BookLooks include Richard Wright’s “Native Son”, a biography of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Jonathan Safran Foer’s post-9/11 novel “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”.

BookLooks uses a content-based rating system indicating age appropriateness of listed books, based on categories such as sex and violence, including a vague rating labeled “aberrant” which is defined as “deviant” with no further explanation.

Library Commission Vacancy and Meeting Transparency

Attendees also raised concerns about a vacancy on the library commission. Tee Esposito-Jackson, in a brief interview, said that when she asked County Commission Liaison Jason Sarnoski about the process of appointing members, he said he was the only person with authority over the selection.

The public did convince the library commission to post audio recordings of its meetings on its website. The recordings will remain online for one month before being replaced by the next meeting audio.

The same residents who spoke against BookLooks voiced support for Butcher and the library’s programs, such as “Blind Date with a Book,” and various classes and workshops.

The next commission meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 25, at 5:30 p.m. at the Richard D. Gardner branch.

Jane Primerano, Contributing Writer

Jane Primerano is a veteran journalist covering Warren County municipalities, agriculture, and historic preservation. Her work has appeared in New Jersey Monthly, New Jersey Farmer, and more. A past president of NJ Press Women and SPJ NJPro, she lives in Hope Village and enjoys music, singing with the Warren County Community Singers, reading, and the Jersey Shore.