• fundraise to make up for a lack of funding for public services, education, or literature;

• focus on lobbying local government for better funding and support;

• raise awareness in the community about the resources that the local library offers;

• fundraise for special programs or community programming that regular funding may not cover;

• gather support from the local community and neighborhood for the library through petitions, meetings, and more.

Why Get Involved? And How?

In states across the United States, libraries are at the core of debates about book bans and censorship. 

As libraries stand up to politicians and angry parents who want to place limitations on what books should be available to our youth, librarians and administrations are facing threats of defunding, legal action, protests, closures, and violence for doing their jobs and trying to keep books freely available to all. 

Libraries are a crucial resource for people who need access to computers, printers, and wifi. That’s all in addition to other things that some public libraries provide: museum passes, notaries, database access, community exchanges, 3D printers, passport services, study room access, sewing machines. Public libraries provide just an astounding amount of resources for free — but all of it requires work, support, and government funding.

Supporting your local public library is a crucial way to maintain an accessible resource for your community while also supporting its staff and administration. Depending on where you live, your local group may be focused on different things, but either way, search for Friends of the Library groups near you and see what they’re working on. Consider membership, volunteering, donating, or just showing up and considering spending your money at one of their events — book sale, lobbying event, educational event, whatever it might be.

By showing up to support the Friends of the Library, or joining your local group, you can help to keep crucial resources in the hands of the public, fight censorship, keep your local library open and accessible, and much more.