When there is a dispute about libraries and their literature offerings, we first look to the USA, where the interference of interested groups of the population via local library committees has a long tradition. Based on current protests at readings in Austria and Germany, it is worth looking back at the “Library Bill of Rights”, which has been in force in the USA since 1939 and has been repeatedly amended and commented on. Its main purpose was to keep censorship in check. A socio-political conception of library work can also help in Europe to understand, for example, the arson attacks in French municipal libraries that have become known in recent decades. This article is intended as a pointer to a possible outside view of the public library.