How You Can Help Libraries Change The World
By Lior Shapiro
As we head into the summer months, and schools are getting ready for the end of the academic year, our minds turn to public libraries, and their crucial role in making learning accessible to everyone.
Libraries are so much more than repositories for books, and their meaning in our society is far greater than the stereotype of a glasses-wearing librarian fining a borrower whose books are overdue. Here at Fair Share, we’re gearing up for the American Library Association conference in San Diego, the last week of June.
We’re excited to connect with library supporters and professionals from around the country—if you’re attending, come find us at our booth—and are looking forward to meeting the hard working experts who know that libraries are the heart of our communities. They offer access to essential resources and connect those in need with lifesaving services. Additionally, their programs help families—even those with limited means—instill a love of reading in children.
Against a backdrop of budget cuts and book bans in schools, public libraries are more important than ever. Many families have asked how they can help, so we thought we’d offer a bit of information on what libraries offer, the challenges libraries are facing today, and some pointers on how you can support and defend the libraries making your community a better place.
Funding Cuts and Book Bans
As reported in this powerful article by Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle, US voters’ public support for libraries is strong, with nine out of ten voters expressing a favorable view towards libraries and librarians in a 2022 poll.
This public support stands in stark contrast to the actions of state legislatures looking to garner votes in culture wars; from Michigan to Missouri to Virginia, libraries face the threat of cuts to their budgets and culls of their catalogs.
Budget cuts mean that libraries don’t have the funds to operate and offer their services, so they wind up reducing hours, removing resources and programming, or even shutting their doors altogether.
The demands to remove books, ostensibly for the protection of the public—especially children—are happening all over the country; the American Library Association’s ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) documented 729 challenges to library, school, and university materials in 2021, resulting in more than 1,597 individual book challenges or removals. A record 4,240 unique book titles were targeted for censorship in 2023, a 65% increase over the 2,571 unique titles targeted in 2022 and a staggering 128% increase over 2021 numbers.
These challenges largely focus on books that address issues of sexuality, gender, and race - 47% of the books targeted for censorship were titles representing the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals- and while conservative politicians garner acclaim from their most vocal supporters, civil liberties groups and library associations scramble to oppose book bans.
Often, these can be successfully stopped on free speech grounds. When a Missouri school district passed a motion banning hundreds of titles from school libraries in 2023, the American Civil Liberties Union took them to court—and the legislators backed down; the case was dismissed, and all but one of the challenged books returned to school shelves.
Culture warriors wield book challenges and budget cuts as integral parts of their strategy. With election season well underway, and diatribes against diversity and inclusion, LGBTQ rights, and critical race theory in ever-higher profile, libraries and their staff face an existential uncertainty and risk of harm; harassment and threats are becoming a regular part of life.
Libraries: More Than Just Books
For young people growing up in a polarized, risky world and facing potential ostracism and abuse at home or school, seeing their identity, history and culture represented in the pages of a book can be one of the only places they find affirmation and hope.
Young lives can be transformed by a book—but books are far from the only way that libraries can change lives for the better. As the world has transformed from analog to digital, and persistent inequality has continued to define the lives of so many American families, library spaces, services and programs are a community lifeline.
Library programming offers something for all age groups, from storytime for babies and toddlers to social meetings for isolated seniors to exhibitions of animals by wildlife rescues. Opportunities to explore a new skill, like computer coding or English as a second language, tutoring and homework help for students, and advice and support for obtaining health insurance, filing taxes or applying for benefits are just some of the programs dreamed up by public libraries across the country.
Programming can also include public readings by authors, job fairs, and even music performances and festivals.
Civic literary celebrations—like Chicago’s One Book, One City—and writing workshops can help inspire love of the written word and community engagement.
Many libraries also offer digital literacy—the basics of getting online and using a computer or smartphone. The computers and printers at libraries often are the only access points that people in extreme poverty have available for digital services, including the Internet as a whole. Getting online is no luxury; someone whose phone and electricity have been turned off—or someone who is unhoused—can apply for jobs, keep in contact with their families and communities, and find resources and support—often with the help of library workers or even experienced social work teams. For areas with strong immigrant populations, libraries are often a place where newcomers can connect with community organizations and help get their bearings in their own language.
Speaking of digital offerings, libraries are often the best way to access e-books, magazines and newspapers, with free access available to anyone with a library card and a device with Internet capabilities.
And, whether users are using the library’s computers or a device of their own at home, many libraries offer access to digital e-learning platforms (for example, Los Angeles public libraries feature Lynda.com), offering courses for career advancement, enjoyment and the love of learning.
For people with a particular research goal, some libraries can even offer access to legal, genealogical, and academic databases—and expert librarians may even be able to help you get up to speed and find what you’re looking for in these advanced treasure troves of information.
One of the most important functions of libraries is as a public space where one doesn’t have to spend money. Access to restrooms and water and protection from the elements is particularly important for unhoused community members, especially when trained staff or social workers can help them access support. As climate change creates catastrophic weather, including heat waves, floods, power brownouts and outages, and deep freezes, the library can become a literal lifeline.
There are little rays of light everywhere in these dark times, and libraries are one of them. For families looking to raise children with a love of books and reading, getting involved in your local library can bolster literacy and critical thinking skills, support the educational benefits of school, and build local connections. They are so worthy of our support!
The most important way that families can support libraries is to participate in what they have to offer! Bring your little ones to story time, and socialize with families and staff. Introduce your kids to staff, and encourage them to pick out books, teaching them how to care for them carefully and return them when they’re finished. Join a book club or community group, and book library rooms for your own meetings and gatherings. Attendance at events, use of library premises and book circulation is noted down in statistics, and helps libraries make the case for their funding when budget time comes round each year!
Alongside attendance is advocacy. This can be as simple as sharing with your friends and family, or posting on social media, about the library and the positive experiences you and your family have there. In our compartmentalized, isolated society, many forget about libraries or think of them as a relic of the past—your ordinary stories about a trip to the library can open eyes and change minds.
More broadly, you can let your public officials and local media (including social media community groups) know that you use and support the library. Make the case for why you feel it’s important, and use examples! You can also join library support groups—often called “Friends of the library”—which organize fundraisers, outreach, and campaigns to raise awareness.
Another excellent way to raise awareness is on the national stage, using social media like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook. Because the broad campaigns against libraries often breach local confines and reach national awareness, speaking up about libraries and their impact, particularly sharing your own positive experiences, can be hugely effective in shifting the debate away from culture wars and towards community building.
Some great library advocacy accounts to follow on X are Mychal Threets, Lacey Librarian, Billy Allen and Margaret Kingsbury. If you’re in a hurry, a share of their content is a big help.
If you have the means, you can also offer donations: money is best, but books are often welcome—if they aren’t usable for the library’s collection they might be offered for sale in a fundraiser. Sponsoring specific programs, or organizing a charity drive for a library program that is close to your heart, is an excellent way to get involved.
If you’re crunched for time, check your local library’s social media page or website—there’s often a quick and easy way to donate.
Many libraries are open to volunteers —whether wrangling the little ones, sharing literacy skills, or helping with administrative tasks like data entry or running social media, cash-strapped libraries are grateful for the assistance.
Too often in our daily lives, we see influencers and billionaires garnering audiences of millions, while encouraging us to envy them, living in their controlled bubbles. The local library and the community that it builds is a polar opposite of the lives they encourage us to aspire to. They have a big microphone, but there are millions of us! One book at a time, we can change the world.
Resource: For data on book bans and how you can help fight against them:
https://uniteagainstbookbans.org/2023-book-bans/