For The People Newsletter Vol. XXXIII
For everyone working to strengthen and expand public libraries
My experience with My Library Board by Lexi B
I’ve always been a huge book nerd. Big shout-out to my parents for instilling a love of reading and engaging with books in me from a young age. In the last year or so, I’ve wanted to become a more engaged member of my community, and so it only felt natural to start attending library board meetings in my area. It’s been a great time learning more and more about how our library runs, the responsibilities of the board, and getting the opportunity to join the community engagement project.
In the late summer, I had the opportunity to interview for a board position. Sadly, I didn’t end up getting the position, but I was really thankful for the resources on the For The People website. The resources, especially the Public Libraries 101 zine, helped me feel more confident going into the interview because I had a better understanding of the library system and how our library might operate. Even though I wasn’t selected for a board position, I have now become co-chair of the library’s community engagement project. We’re starting a campaign to increase awareness of our library’s current services and getting people used to the idea of expanding our library so that we can get a better facility approved in 2026. It’s been really cool getting to listen to how all of the people on the committee see the library and the hopes that people have for the new building. Our first community meeting is in November! I’m really looking forward to seeing what the larger community wants to know about the library and planning the next few meetings based on the questions that come up in the first event.
To be honest, I was nervous when I started attending my board meetings. But I’ve learned a lot and started to form new relationships with the people who attend, which helps me feel more connected to the city I live in. I’d highly recommend getting involved if you can, even if it’s just sitting in to listen to the meeting. You never know what you’ll learn and you never know how you might be able to engage with what they’re doing! Thanks for the chance to share my experience!
[FTP loves to hear from folks around the country about your experiences with your public library systems. Please reach out to us at forthepeoplelibraries@gmail.com if you would like to share a reflection in our newsletter. Thanks to Lexi for sharing this month.]
🏛️ Apply to FTP’s 2026 Library Board Candidate Cohort! + December Open House
Inspired by Lexi’s story and ready to pursue a seat on your local public library board?
Your board may be elected, or it may be appointed. Find out using our new tool: data.librariesforthepeople.org
Our next cohort is slated to begin in February of 2026. This is a FREE 12-week course. Meetings will be held virtually on Mondays 12 – 1:30 EST / 9 – 10:30 PST.
Deadline: December 18th 2025.
Open house: December 4th 2025. Register for the open house here.
Read about the efforts of FTP’s Candidate Cohort alumni currently on their local library boards.
👫 Introducing: Friends of the Library organizing group
For the last few months, FTP has been expanding our work in building local, leftist power by focusing on Friends of the Library groups. Friends groups allow community members to help their libraries fundraise, plan events, build local support, do outreach, and more, and they are an often untapped site of local organizing.
The community-minded energy that folks put into their Friends groups can be tremendously useful in engaging and expanding leftist models of library support and making sure that the library works for everyone.
Whether there’s already a Friends group at your local branch or there isn’t and you want to start one, we are here to help! We’ve produced a Friends of the Library 101 zine to ground us in some shared info and vocabulary about how these groups function and for you to come up with an actionable plan for how to get involved. We hope you’ll use it and share it widely!
In early 2026, we’ll be launching an ongoing Friends of the Library organizing group to help you engage in and expand the horizons of your local Friend groups and to connect you with others across the country also doing this work. Just like our Library Board cohorts, we hope that this group will serve as an ongoing resource for people working together to develop local leftist power through and for their libraries!
Download, read, and share the FoL zine here.
📃 Favorite Library Quotes
FTP asked folks to send in their favorite library quotes…and you did! We will feature them throughout the year.
“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.”
- Jorge Luis Borges
Here’s a roundup of interesting reading and listening material that we think you’ll appreciate. Sometimes articles may be paywalled. In other news, sometimes it’s nice to use tools like Archive.today or the Wayback Machine.
Libraries Can’t Get Their Loaned Books Back Because of Trump’s Tariffs by Emanuel Maiberg for 404 Media
By the Numbers: Banned Books Week 2025 | American Libraries Magazine
As book bans decline, concerns mount over librarian and teacher self-censoring by Lexi Lonas Cochran for The Hill
LA County libraries forced to end digital lending services after FCC decision by Destiny Torres for LAist
Nikki Giovanni’s Wonderful Poems Celebrating Libraries and Librarians – The Marginalian
Restore school libraries to aid reading freedom by Jenny Fox for Daily News
Philadelphia libraries: Air conditioning issues closed most in 2025 by Sophia Schmidt for WHYY
Brooklyn Public Library launches new resources for delivery workers by Hannah Kliger for CBS New York
Reading Rainbow Returns With New Host and Celebrity Guest Stars by Rachel Raposas for People
Authors Against Book Bans: Take action to protest the DoE’s partnership with conservative groups
Alachua County ends interlibrary loans after federal funding cuts by Grace Larson for The Independent Florida Alligator
Panel advances legislation restricting sexual content in Wyoming library books by Andrew Graham for WyoFile
Ohio’s beloved parks and libraries face annihilation in Republican war on property taxes in Today in Ohio
7 surprising ways the public library can save you money by Marielle Segarra, Audrey Nguyen for NPR
Country’s largest library vendor closing this year, libraries forced to buy elsewhere by Collin Dorsey for 10TV
A smuggled book changed his life. Now he’s built 500 prison libraries by Maggie Penman for The Washington Post
Library Admins Are Using Public Money to Hire Union Busters Against Workers by Emily Drabinski for Truthout
The Ann Arbor District Library Plans to Acquire the Ann Arbor Observer
Rogue Goodreads Librarian Edits Site to Expose ‘Censorship in Favor of Trump Fascism’ by Matthew Gault for 404 Media
Extralibrary Loan: Making the Civic Infrastructure We Need by Shannon Mattern for Places Journal
Millvale Community Library using Giant Eagle penny exchange to feed hungry by Jordan Cioppa for WTAE
📢 Take Action
Sign NYC Public Library Action Network’s letter to the NYC City Council to increase library funding.
Sign a letter saying NO to Chicago Public Library layoffs and budget cuts
Dearly Departed Datasets: share information about federal datasets that have been taken down, terminated, or altered
Call for proposals: Archives & Digital media lab: Resilient communities, Resilient archives
Funding opportunity for Friends of Library groups: United for Libraries and Penguin Random House Grants to U.S. Rural and Small Libraries
Applications are open for their next Library Freedom Institute from Library Freedom Project. Apply by December 10th, we highly recommend this for library workers!
Don’t miss the new Library Freedom Project resource: ICE Response Protocols for Public Library Workers. (sorry for the bad link last month, this one is good!)
🎟️ Upcoming Events of Interest
📚 Nov 1 | Philadelphia, PA | 11 am – 5 pm Philly Zine Fest at Mitten Hall at Temple University
📚 Nov 1 | DC Metro Area | 11 am – 4 pm DC Zine Fest at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
📚 Nov 1 | Claremont, CA | 11 am – 8 pm Over Here Claremont Zine Fest at The Benton Museum of Art
📚 Nov 1 – 2 | Boston, MA Boston Anarchist Book Fair at Cambridge Community Center
🗓️ Deadline: Nov 3 | San Bernardino, CA | Apply to table at the IE Print & Zine Fest
💬 Nov 4 | Charleston, SC | 5 pm – 6.30 pm Reimagining the Archives with Zines: A Conversation with Mariame Kaba at the Avery Research Center, College of Charleston
📚 Nov 8 – 9 | Oceanside, CA | Oceanside Printmaking & Zine
📚 Nov 8 – 9 | Portland, OR | Portland Zine Symposium at PSU’s Smith Ballroom
💬 Nov 8 – 9 | Virtual Zine Librarians unConference 2025
📚 Nov 14 – 16 | Chicago, IL Staple + Stitch Art book + Print fair at 21c Chicago
📚 Nov 15 | Houston, TX | 12 pm – 6 pm at The Orange Show Zine Fest Houston
💬 Nov 21 – 22 | Virtual | 7 am – 9 am ET | Protecting Heritage, Memory & Land in Palestine & Lebanon
📚 Nov 22 | Huntsville, Alabama | 11 am – 7 pm Gobble Gobble Hey! Zine and Small Press Fest at Lowe Mill (First Floor Connector)