For The People Newsletter Vol. XIII
For everyone working to strengthen and expand public libraries
Hello to all our comrades working to strengthen and transform public libraries! As we begin the month of March, we are so glad to be in this effort alongside you.
In this issue, you’ll find:
News from For The People
A few All-Calls (we want to hear from you!)
The latest from LibraryLand
An update on FTP’s Data Collection Project
Upcoming Events
FTP NEWS AND UPDATES
We are so grateful to everyone who applied for our paid internship. There were truly too many wonderful applications and it was difficult to only choose one person.
That said, we’re excited to welcome Elizabeth Flores who will be working with us to create a toolkit to support local communities to organize your own public library People’s Assemblies (more on this in the coming weeks). For now, please join us in welcoming Elizabeth Flores to the fold.
Elizabeth (they/them) is a community organizer hailing from Los Angeles, CA. Over the last decade, they have sought out projects that uplift and build power for marginalized communities that disproportionately lack adequate access to vital public resources, like libraries. Elizabeth earned their BA in Educational Studies and Biology from Swarthmore College, in Pennsylvania. Shortly after graduating, they relocated to central Iowa to serve at the Ames Public Library; first as a part-time Youth Services Clerk, then as a full-time Adult Services Library Assistant.
Over the last year, Elizabeth assumed the role of Lending Library Director at Cafe Con Libros Press (CCLP), a volunteer-run, community-based non-profit in Pomona, CA. Currently, they also serve as a staff member and Lead Organizer at Gente Organizada, a community-based non-profit that builds intergenerational power and wellness for youth and immigrant families in Pomona, CA.
Elizabeth's community organizing practice is rooted in relationship building; in their roles at CCLP and Gente, they have fostered fruitful working relationships with key stakeholders including, community-based organizations, local businesses, political leaders, and community members. Elizabeth is excited to support FTP’s mission to build community power and facilitate social action and organizing for libraries.
CANDIDATE COHORT ENTERS THIRD WEEK
FTP’s first library board candidate cohort has kicked off, and we’re just about to begin our third of twelve weeks of training.
Some cohort members are serving trustees, some are actively pursuing appointments, and some are preparing for runs or appointments further down the line; all are thoughtful, interested folks who are all working to make public libraries better in their communities. Thank you to everyone who joined the cohort - we have an outstanding group!
If you want to read along with the cohort, here are a few excerpts from weeks one and two of our syllabus:
“Building Governing Power to Make the World We Need” (Dan McGrath & Harmony Goldberg, The Forge, 2021)
Chris Dixon, “Organizing to Win the World: Addressing The Left’s Deficit of Strategic Thinking,” Briarpatch Magazine
Check out Slow Factory’s Callings and Roles for Collective Liberation - which profile speaks to you? Why?
If you want to join a future cohort, we are planning for a second cohort to begin in early 2025; you can add your name to the waiting list now.
ALL CALLS
Are you planning to attend the PLA conference, April 3-5 in Columbus, OH? We’re organizing an FTP meetup (details TBD but they will be cool), so if you’re attending, send us an email with your contact info and we’ll add you to the list!
Are you a currently serving member of a state library board? If so, we want to know about you and help you work with other leftist state library board members! Please send us an email with your details to get connected.
Here’s a roundup of interesting reading and listening material that we think you’ll appreciate. Sometimes articles may be paywalled. In other totally unrelated news, sometimes it’s nice to use tools like 12ft.io or the Wayback Machine.
Police Bodycam Shows Sheriff Hunting for 'Obscene' Books at Library by Jason Koebler for 404 Media
ACT4SA (Accountability for San Antonio) recently shared some talking point and testimony training resources to help their community members with keeping cops out of libraries - check it out!
Q&A w// Kristi Thomas on community volunteerism, prison libraries and more by Megdi Abebe for up//root
West Virginia GOP Passes Deranged Bill That Could Put Librarians in Jail by Tori Otten for The New Republic
Board of Education moves to pull school police officers by Nader Issa for Chicago Sun-Times
Stop Picking on Public Libraries by Rebecca Gordon for The Nation
Howard County library employees vote to form union by Sherry Greenfield for The Baltimore Sun
The War on Education—in Gaza and at Home by Alberto Toscano for In These Times
Librarians urge lawmakers to shelve plan to turn Missouri libraries over to elected boards by Kurt Erickson for St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Libraries: The Best Form of Government by Joshua P. Hill in New Means
FTP’S DATA COLLECTION PROJECT
Phase 01 of For the People's Data Collection Project is complete, and Phase 02 is underway.
We’re fully checked out for Phase 02, but you can still sign up below to be on deck for any future phases or any new FTP research projects.
Monthly Volunteer Scoreboard
A big round of applause to our anonymous 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners this month, all of whom will be receiving excellent prizes.
We really appreciate all of the amazing volunteers who have helped out with this project so far. Note: The scoreboard is an opt-in situation, so volunteers are named "Anonymous Volunteer Extraordinaire" by default unless they explicitly agree to have their name or an alias included on the scoreboard.
UPCOMING EVENTS
March 11th - Abolitionist Futures: A Prison Library Support Network (PLSN) Discussion Group
March 14th - Books through Bars: Stories from the Prison Books Movement virtual book launch
March 18th - Deadline to apply for Library Freedom Project’s Library Freedom Institute, a privacy-focused 6-month virtual training for librarians.
March 19th - American Library Association’s Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) “Abolitionist Visions and Intersections: Centering Human Relationships and Building Institutional Connections for Social Justice”
March 29th - Library History Round Table Reads (LHRT Reads): Public in Name Only: The 1939 Alexandria Library Sit-In Demonstration by Brenda Mitchell-Powell (registration link)
April 3rd-5th - Public Library Association annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio (let us know if you’re attending and join us at the FTP meetup!)
April 7th - Libraries for the Commons Mutual Aid Libraries Event at Index Space, hosted by Library of Study
May 11th - Sojourners for Justice Press is organizing a Black Zine Fair (BZF). BZF is a celebration of all things Black and publishing in New York City! Black exhibitors and educators are invited to gather, trade or sell zines, and exchange knowledge surrounding zine-making, self & independent publishing, and do-it-yourself culture. Learn more at the BZF website.