Special Edition: Upcoming For the People Events and Volunteer Opportunities
"How They Did It" event and data collection volunteering
For the People presents “How They Did It”
Thursday, October 5th from 6:00PM - 7:30PM Eastern FTP presents an event called “How They Did It”.
Join us for a dynamic how-to session focused on local organizer efforts to strengthen and defend public libraries. We'll hear firsthand accounts from the Hennepin County Library Patrons Union and Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship. Discover how these organizations threw themselves into the struggle, built power, navigated challenges, and made a difference in their local public libraries.
Participants can expect to leave with lessons learned and examples of step-by-step actions that could be applied elsewhere. This event is all about practical takeaways and constructive advice that you can apply to your own local library initiatives, so please also feel encouraged to come with questions for a Q&A.
The Library Patrons Union is an explicitly leftist, community-run union of Hennepin County Library patrons (in Minnesota), organizing for more just public libraries.
Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship is an all-volunteer, grassroots organization dedicated to fighting attempts to ban or restrict books based on subjective standards of inappropriate content. We believe that informed citizens are good citizens, and access to information is the cornerstone of a functioning democracy. To that end, we oppose any legislation aimed at restricting citizens' First Amendment Rights, as well as the right to read freely.
Access info: ASL interpretation and live captioning will be provided.
More Data Collection Volunteers Needed!
Our goal is to complete the data collection project by the end of 2023, so that we’re well positioned to support leftists to get seated in 2024. Of the 9000+ public library systems in the United States, we’ve had volunteers complete online research efforts for just shy of 6000 of them, which means we still have 3000 to go before the end of the year. That means we need volunteers to complete research on a combined 1000 libraries each month for the remaining three months this year. Our volunteer batches typically include just 25 systems, so that means we need 40 volunteers to sign up each month. Each batch of 25 library systems takes about 2-3 hours to research, so this is a great low-lift way for you to make a real difference in the struggle.
Sign up to help here (choose the “online research” option)!
"Phase Two" is also still progressing, thanks to our awesome volunteers who have signed up for this next-level research where we’re doing direct outreach to the public library systems that don’t publish the info we’re looking for online.
Calling All Library Board Candidates
For The People is assembling the first cohort of candidates who are ready to run for a library board seat or seek appointment, and we want YOU to be a part of it! Our cohort will receive 12 weeks of training in three 4-week sections. You’ll learn how to run for office, identify and pursue an appointment, and govern effectively as a leftist library board trustee. This cohort is aimed at candidates who are on track to run or seek appointment between January 1, 2024, and March 15, 2025.
If you’re interested in running but not quite ready yet (or if your race is later than 3/15/25), stay tuned for our next cohort.
To apply for the 2023 Fall Cohort, complete our online application here—and congratulations on taking a huge step to defend public libraries!