Support Libraries - Blog Posts

They are important and beautiful!

“She is very gorgeous to me!”

Reblog if you think public libraries are important and should be maintained.

This inspired me to visit my local library more (there is one LITERALLY around the block I live. ik, shame on me 😔) I don't go there often because I was never brought there by my parent (only once after asking for a while), but I just realized I'm old enough to walk there on my own (tell me about living a life where you're not allowed to go past your own yard most times.)

Heck, I may even ask to assist there. Maybe me visiting will get more people to come to it, as every time I pass by it through car or when running with my dog, it looks a little lonely.

I want to thank this post for opening my eyes and giving me another purpose to do things on my own and revisit a place I adored.

If you guys want I can keep y'all updated.

5 Ways to Support Your Local Library

Get a library card. I know this might seem obvious, but simply being a cardholder is a huge way to support your local library. Prices vary, but many people are able to get a library card for free, depending on their location in relation to the library. Check with your local library for more precise pricing. 

Check out books. Any books circulating through the library’s system is good - however, I will make the recommendation to check out educational, history, and craft books, for your own benefit. Something to remember: The more a certain type of book circulates, the more likely books of that ilk will be ordered in the future. 

Attend programs. Programs are the backbone of a library, but unfortunately, many libraries struggle with attendance. Look for your library’s calendar, find something that interests you, then go to that program. This not only shows support for your library, but opens up opportunities for you to get to know other like-minded people in your community.

Volunteer. Many libraries need volunteers to help handle some of the important organizational tasks that the library staff does not have time for. Many of these tasks are neurodivergent-friendly, such as shelf-reading. Volunteering is not only a good way to support your library, but it may help your mental health and socialization.

Donate. Libraries everywhere are struggling, with many laws going into place in various places that could defund them. If you are unable to donate money, then see if your library accepts donations of other sorts, such as books. Many libraries partner with Friends of the Library groups in order to sell books that are donated to them. Many libraries also have a “Library of Things” where items that have been donated can be checked out by patrons (for example, my Library of Things has an air fryer, a ukulele, a snow cone machine, etc.).

There are many other things that you can do to support your local library, but for now, I leave you here. Be safe out there, and remember: USE YOUR LIBRARY.

hey hi hello so as the US goes through this ~ hostile government takeover ~ Trump signed an executive order last week to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). On Thursday (3/20) DOGE attempted to quietly raid IMLS but staff there posted to reddit and the unwanted media attention led them to put a pause on the takeover, for now. Trump replaced the director of IMLS with Keith Sonderling, who very openly stated that his goals are to "promote patriotism" and "American exceptionalism". We worry grants will be more dependent on whether your institution supports DEI [or anyone who isn't a white hetero cis amab].

A lot of libraries depend on IMLS grants! If they go away we will lose librarians and libraries may close, or at least significantly decrease their services. This will affect funding for technology classes, free resources for the blind, summer reading, databases, free internet access assistance, and interlibrary loans among other things. As the administration also targets social security, immigration, and other safety nets, libraries are attempting to fill the gap for the public, and things will get much harder without reliable funding.

This is also IN ADDITION to the administration calling book bans "fake" and some states attempting to pass laws to criminalize librarians, with fears in the library world that they will also try to make it a federal crime to promote or otherwise provide access to "inappropriate materials" which have included books that promote "gender ideology" or basically any character that isn't a white heterosexual cis amab. That is one of the cornerstones of Project 2025. This IMLS takeover will only make things worse, and make it harder for people to access information.

Personally, we have been told by our director to be very careful and not talk about this while at work because of fears of retaliation, we have had several calls from the public to remove books with gay characters (we didn't), and as an adult services librarian, I am already seeing an impact on databases I help the public use. Medline Plus, the only free and easy-to-use medical encyclopedia for the public I have been able to find, is a US government website and already has warnings above certain pages about the "harms of gender ideology". This warning can be seen above pages on health disparities and abortion.

If you're so inclined and live in the US, the ALA put together a portal that makes it easy to email your reps with a script. You can find the portal here. I would also recommend investing in your local library, post on social media what services you use, sign up for a library card and see how many resources you can access for free. Many state library associations collect user stories of libraries so they can show their stakeholders they matter. Like my library, it is likely that staff have been warned not to discuss this at work because of fears of retaliation, so try not to talk to librarians about this at work.

General advocacy page:

Article from NPR about the takeover:

NPR

Federal agency responsible for library and museum funding gets a visit from DOGE

Keith E. Sonderling is the new acting head of The Institute of Museum and Library Services, the main source of federal funding for libraries

What happens if IMLS goes away:

Library Journal

What Happens to Libraries if IMLS Goes Away?

On Friday night, March 14, President Trump issued an Executive Order that called for the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library

A report on how much museums give back to the US economy:

American Alliance of Museums

Museums as Economic Engines

Museums play an essential role in cultural and social life across the US. They tell our stories, preserve our heritage, interpret the past,

An interactive map of what IMLS funds in the US:

imls.gov

IMLS Interactive Map

> read library book

> it's good

Thank you library