The national media finally is focusing on Sarah Palin's tumultuous tenure as mayor of Wasilla, though it is well documented by local and regional newspapers (as I discussed on Saturday). Fortunately one aspect of her controversial early career is getting more attention – her attempt during her first year as mayor to ban books in the town library.

Time Magazine talked to the former mayor of Wasilla, John Stein, about Palin's tendency to inject her evangelical Christian beliefs into local politics – even to the point of running for mayor on a platform of opposition to abortion. But that was just the prelude to her sectarianism once she had won election.

Stein says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. "She asked the library how she could go about banning books," he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. "The librarian was aghast." That woman, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor.

Politico has obtained a copy of the opposition research book on Palin compiled by her Democratic opponent in the 2006 gubernatorial election, Tony Knowles. One section deals with the book banning issue and summarizes what the local paper recorded in 1996.

Palin Asked City Librarian About Censoring Books, Insisted It Was ‘Rhetorical.’ In 1996, according to the Frontiersman, Wasilla’s library director Mary Ellen Emmons said Palin asked her outright if she could live with censorship of library books. Emmons said, “This is different than a normal book-selection procedure or a book-challenge policy. … She was asking me how I would deal with her saying a book can’t be in the library.” Palin said in response, “Many issues were discussed, both rhetorical and realistic in nature.” [Frontiersman, 12/18/96]

The New York Times adds considerable detail.

Shortly after becoming mayor, former city officials and Wasilla residents said, Ms. Palin approached the town librarian about the possibility of banning some books, though she never followed through and it was unclear which books or passages were in question.

Ann Kilkenny, a Democrat who said she attended every City Council meeting in Ms. Palin’s first year in office, said Ms. Palin brought up the idea of banning some books at one meeting. “They were somehow morally or socially objectionable to her,” Ms. Kilkenny said.

The librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, pledged to “resist all efforts at censorship,” Ms. Kilkenny recalled. Ms. Palin fired Ms. Emmons shortly after taking office but changed course after residents made a strong show of support. Ms. Emmons, who left her job and Wasilla a couple of years later, declined to comment for this article.

In 1996, Ms. Palin suggested to the local paper, The Frontiersman, that the conversations about banning books were “rhetorical.”

The Republican Party is making progress of a sort on the intellectual front, I suppose. Not content merely with a former librarian as First Lady, they're now backing a would-be book-banner for Vice President.

• Sarah-Palin