For The People Newsletter Vol. XIV
For everyone working to strengthen and expand public libraries
National Library Week kicks off on April 7th and it’s an opportunity to take action to support your local public library. Last year, we invited everyone to take at least one concrete action during the week. We’re doing the same again this year. Let us know what you will do here.
One action that we encouraged was to find out if your local branch has a Friends of the Library group and to join it if you can.
Several of you took us up on this invitation. In fact, 38 respondents indicated that they “Joined (or took steps towards joining) a ‘Friends of the Library’ group,” representing 20 states including IL, VT, NJ, CA, SC, DE, MD, PA, OK, MO, NY, MI, MT, FL, MA, VA, WA, WI, NM, LA plus DC.
Friends of Library groups are often wonderful entry points to taking a more active role in your local branch library. We invite even more people to volunteer this year. We hope that many more people will take us up on the invitation to JOIN YOUR LOCAL FRIENDS group!
Please complete this form to let us know your plans. The first 35 people who fill it out will receive a small gift from us.
REFLECTIONS FROM NEW FRIENDS MEMBERS
In 2023, 38 respondents indicated that they “Joined (or took steps towards joining) a ‘Friends of the Library’ group,” representing 20 states. We’ve asked people to respond to some questions about their experiences - here’s what Karla from Philadelphia had to say.
JOINING A FRIENDS GROUP | Karla in Philadelphia, PA
Which local Friend of the Library group did you join and why did you join?
I joined the FOL at my local branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia system, the Falls of Schuylkill Branch Library. I joined for two reasons.
One, I do work as a professional librarian and archivist, but in 2021 I moved from a more public facing position as a Special Collections Librarian at UNLV, to a much more behind the scenes position as an institutional archivist at a charitable nonprofit in Philadelphia. I've really missed interacting with the public, and was looking for an opportunity to do that with my local library.
Two, I also wanted to advocate for libraries in Philadelphia. While book bans are not currently a large concern in Philly, the libraries are woefully underfunded. Because of this my local branch is not open at all on weekends, and only occasionally on weeknights. In fact, no branches (including the central branch) are open on Sundays, and only a handful of branch libraries are open on Saturdays, which is shameful.
What projects have you had a chance to work on through the group?
I initially expressed an interest in joining my FOL Advocacy efforts. Unfortunately when I reached out, the chair of the Advocacy Committee did not have the bandwidth to respond, so in the meantime I have been working for the FOL Outreach Committee.
Because many of the members of the FOL lack technical skills I was tasked with creating an electronic quarterly newsletter to keep our community up to speed on what is going on at our local branch.
I am glad to report that I recently connected with the Advocacy Chair, and going forward I will act as the representative for our branch at the larger Friends of the Free Library Organizing Committee. This committee represents the entire Free Library system, and it is where larger organizing efforts take place.
This committee will plan advocacy efforts around the Mayor's budget this spring and early summer. The new Mayor has proposed not increasing the Free Library budget for the next five years, sadly. I will most likely be drafting social media posts to bring attention to this and encourage users of our local branch to reach out to our city council rep to advocate for increased funding for our wonderful and important library system.
What's been the best and also the hardest thing about being part of the group?
All the local committees at my branch have ceased any virtual meetings that took place during the earlier years of Covid, which makes attending committee meetings challenging due to my work schedule.
The majority of the volunteers at my local branch are older and retired and do not have good technical skills, and are not particularly interested in bringing back virtual meetings. I think this limits the number of younger people/professionals who are willing to volunteer. My local branch also no longer offers any virtual activities in general, unfortunately.
What would you say to encourage others to take a similar action?
It's really not a huge time commitment, unless you want it to be. And FOL groups are generally overjoyed to have new people with fresh ideas! It is a very supportive environment in my experience.
Anything else you'd like to share with us?
I do hope my advocacy role becomes much larger in the coming year. After the city budget season there are a lot of other activities worth exploring. For example, the FOL at my local branch has been very successful in raising money for various projects, but other branches are not so lucky, in part because they may not have a FOL group.
Because of this, one idea is to raise funds in our neighborhood for projects at other branches which do not see the same level of financial support. I also hope to eventually serve as a committee chair and/or on the board of my FOL branch. These positions are appointed by FOL as they become vacant.
Joining my FOL has been a very rewarding experience so far. Thanks for the push and encouragement to join!
Thanks for everything you’re doing, Karla!
LIBRARIES AND LEMONADE 2024
We are seeking a volunteer who can coordinate our Libraries and Lemonade (L&L) project this summer. L&L invites everyone to join us in defending public libraries by setting up a lemonade stand and talking with your neighbors about the importance of fully funding our public libraries, opposing book bans, and actively becoming involved in local libraries by joining Friend of Library groups and running for local library board seats.
Last year, we were so excited that some people participated and we are hoping for more people to take part this summer. Check out our young friend Pepper who was honored by her local library for her efforts!
The L&L volunteer will do outreach on social media to recruit participants, keep track of those who apply for our small seed funding ($50), answer questions from participants, and create a short report at the end of the summer to share with everyone.
If interested, send an email to jjinjustice1@gmail.com to let us know. We need to have a volunteer in place by early May. The ideal person is a self-starter with some graphic design & project management experience who loves public libraries.
ALL CALLS
Are you planning to attend the Public Library Association conference, April 3-5 in Columbus, OH? We’re organizing an FTP coffee hour on Thursday, April 4th from 9-10am, 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 a fun thing to do on the internet is to use tools like 12ft.io or the Wayback Machine.
NYC library budget cuts are impacting the most vulnerable by Elly Belle for Prism
Librarians Lock Autauga-Prattville Public Library in Protest After Director Fired by Board by Kelly Jensen for BookRiot
Book bans in US schools and libraries surged to record highs in 2023 by Erum Salam for The Guardian
Israeli Damage to Archives, Libraries, and Museums in Gaza, October 2023–January 2024 from Librarians and Archivists with Palestine
Moms for Liberty Completely Collapses in Former Strongholds by Tori Otten for The New Republic
Colorado librarians are now front-line crisis workers, managing homeless patrons, mental illness, book-banners by Elizabeth Hernandez for The Denver Post
What have federal courts said about local library book bans? by Ralph Chapoco for AL.com
ACTION/ORGANIZING OPPORTUNITIES
The horrible Mayor of NYC, Eric Adams, is once again planning to cut public library funding. If you live in the city, please send him a letter or call him to oppose the proposed cuts.
Schools and libraries across Illinois need support from people who care about the First Amendment and the Right to Read. Join the Parents for Progress initiative to network with others around the Land of Lincoln who care. They will keep you up to date with news affecting the libraries and with ways to support our school and public libraries. Learn more and sign up here.
EveryLibrary and Run For Something are teaming up for a webinar on 4/30 from 7-8pm EDT for anyone interested in running for office. During this webinar, the RFS team will talk about running for office, how you can prepare to run, and how RFS supports and endorses candidates. There will be time for Q&A at the end of the call, and within 1-2 days after the webinar, you will receive links to online resources to help you plan your run. Learn more and register now.
In related news, you can sign up for For The People’s 2025 candidate cohort here! If you’re planning to run for your local library board or seek an appointment, we’re here to help you. The waiting list is open, and we plan to kick off the next cohort in early 2025 (January or February). Fill out the cohort application online here.
UPCOMING EVENTS
April 3rd-5th - Public Library Association annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio (let us know if you’re attending and join us at the FTP coffee hour on 4/4!)
April 4th-7th - International NY Antiquarian Book Fair - Librarians, curators and people who work at nonprofits can sign up for a complimentary ticket here.
April 6th - NYC Feminist Zine Fair
April 7th - Libraries for the Commons Mutual Aid Libraries Event at Index Space, hosted by Library of Study
April 25th-28th - NY Art Book Fair
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.