Hi! Hope you had a good Thanksgiving weekend. I’m 99% sure I’ve never shared the story below but I have a slight doubt lingering in my head, most likely because I did a lot of the research months ago. If it’s a repeat, sorry! I triple-checked and came up empty. — Dan

Public libraries are an unsung hero of modern communities. They’re a great way to get a free book, at least for a few weeks, but they’re a lot more than that. In many places, the library acts as a hub for community gatherings, offers a quiet place for people to work, has activities for children, and much, much more. For example, on December 10 of this year, the Troy Public Library in Troy, Michigan, has five events — two sessions of something called “Rhyme Time” for kids under the age of 30 months and their parents; two “Bookmobile” stops,” one at a local apartment complex and another at an elementary school; and an afterschool gingerbread house competition for teens.

But none of those events would have happened had, more than a decade ago, a group of concerned citizens in Troy tried to get the library to burn all its books.

Troy is a city of about 85,000 people, situated about a half hour drive north of Detroit. (Here’s a map.) And like many other municipalities, Troy suffered from a series of budget deficits after the 2008 financial crisis. In the fall of 2009, the city government announced that, to fund the local government fully, they planned to raise property taxes to fund better roads, public safety efforts (e.g., more policing), and to keep the library open. The city called a special election the following February, asking citizens to approve the tax increase, expecting it to pass easily. But, as Information Today explains, “due to a city administration that underestimated a strong anti-tax sentiment among a small but virulent group,” the tax increase vote failed. The library, as a result, was slated for closure.

The city still wanted to increase local taxes, so the council placed another referendum on the ballot for that November. But as Bloomberg reported, that didn’t go in the council’s favor, either: “Residents defeated yet another proposal to maintain funding for the library [and the other services]. The building was given just enough money to function as a storage facility until the operation shut down. They even set a closing date: June 30, 2011.” But the city council had one trick left. In May 2011, they announced one final vote, one specific to funding the library. On August 2, 2011, citizens of Troy would cast their ballots, yea or nay, to increase property taxes by 0.7% — enough to fund the library for five years.

Once again, the anti-tax groups were loud and in front, drowning out the voices of the pro-library opposition. But this time, the anti-tax group wasn’t alone in their opposition to funding the library. A new organization, called “Safeguarding American Families,” allied with them — but not on tax grounds. Safeguarding American Families wanted to get rid of the books themselves, seeing such knowledge as a threat to, well, American families, I guess. They wanted the library closed, yes, and they also wanted the books in that library burned. They even organized a book burning party for three days after the vote, as seen on the yard sign pictured below.

Even some of the most apathetic of Troy’s citizens were outraged by the idea, as one would expect, but Safeguarding doubled down, arguing that the only good book was one used as kindling. Their campaign made national news, embarrassing Troy. And it shifted the debate around the library from taxes to the library itself.

And that was the point.

The book burning campaign wasn’t a serious one, although that wasn’t immediately clear. As Information Today explained, “Just before the Aug. 2 election, global advertising agency Leo Burnett (LB) revealed publicly that it was behind the campaign. It had kept its involvement anonymous for the first weeks of promoting the book burning party, which the agency viewed as ‘reverse psychology.’ Once LB had people’s emotional attention, it went into the next phase of its strategy, which was to reveal its true support for the library by asserting that closing a library was as ridiculous as burning books.”

The ruse worked. The ballot measure had unusually high turnout and, per Bloomberg, 58% of those who voted did so to save the library. No books were burned, and the library is still running today.

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Today’s Bonus fact: On January 15, 2009, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger entered history books by successfully landing US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River after birds struck the plane’s engines. Everyone on board survived, but a lot of personal items went down with the plane — including a copy of “Just Culture: Balancing Safety and Accountability,” a book Sully had taken out of the library. Sully, despite the extenuating circumstances, told the library about the lost book, realizing he’d probably have to pay a fine or late fees. The library waived the fee.

From the Archives: New York City's Secret (Tiny) Subway: It’s in a library.

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And thanks! — Dan