This guy hits THE NAIL on the head about why we need to support public libraries now more than ever.

I had to wait until after April Fool's Day to post this but I was looking for, I swear to god, something entirely unrelated and discovered that Chicago Public Library does in fact an mm omegaverse manga. In fact, they have three copies of it.

Feeling very virtuous having dropped off about 12 bags of food for the town food pantry and then going to the library across the street to both return and pick-up books with my 15 and 18 yo kids.

Someone's getting Nutella at the food pantry is all I'm saying.

I am a full on CLOWN instead of editing my blurb I fell into a reading rabbit hole bc I’ve been so so behind…so I failed at writing yet again but hey, go check out my own personal lil library I updated with some good reads @darkroastreads

giggling and kicking my feet thinking about her (my public library)

RED ALERT, LIBRARY FANS.

Discussion of this so-called library association may be coming soon to a library board meeting, city council meeting, or board of county commissioners meeting near you. Anyone who has the means and opportunity to speak in opposition to YOUR library investing ANY time or resources to support this hate-fueled shell game should absolutely do so. They aren't currently charging money for membership, which smells an awful lot like they've got hidden funders with an agenda to push. DO NOT LET THEM.

It's likely that members of groups like Moms for Liberty will start aggressively campaigning for their local libraries to abandon ALA in favor of this organization. It's free after all, and as far as they're concerned it's a fast track to everything they want to see happen in libraries: Good Christian Programming(tm), eradication of any books about LGBTQ+ or BIPOC experiences, and librarians who aren't able to do a damn thing about it. Our libraries need ALA now more than ever, and it'll take members of the community stepping up and showing overwhelming support to convince stubborn library oversight bodies to keep spending that money on dues for a "controversial" organization. There's strength in numbers, and being part of a professional organization with solid values and a robust network of other librarians to connect with and learn from is absolutely vital right now.

If you live in a small town, and especially if your library can't afford to join ALA (it's super pricey!), encourage your library to join the Association for Rural & Small Libraries as well/instead. (Full disclosure: I work with this organization, but I'm promoting them here in my capacity as an individual on my personal blog, not trying to be a sneaky ad or anything.) It's a purpose-built organization that supports the actual needs of small-town libraries without sacrificing the integrity of our institutions or our profession.

Is four library cards too many? Technically I qualify for them but this feels indicative of a bigger problem…

Went to the library for the first time in like seven years today, I had a lovely time! I checked out Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson, I’ve been meaning to check out his stuff for a while now. Super edgy stories don’t usually appeal to me that much, but I have to say that this one has me hooked!

What you need to know about me is that in preparation of our international trip tomorrow, I have stocked up on sunscreen in < 3 oz tubes AND focused on loading my Kindle with a variety of books, including Le Guin’s Lavinia, AND I spent about 20 min trying to decide what actual book I would pack for when I need to hold one in my hands (went with Manhattan Beach but might switch last minute for Ruth Ozeki’s The Book of Form and Emptiness.)

buying books & reading books..two different hobbies.

Find these quality shitpost designs and more at Library Renegade

Support Your Local Library!

Here’s 3 easy ways to get started: 1.) Get a library card (it’s free and usually just requires proof of residency!) 2.) Attend your local library’s events and programming. 3.) Advocate for increased support and funding. 

Digital illustration of a redhead fem with cat eye glasses wearing a green sparkly dress. She's leaning on a bookcart next to a tuxedo cat holding a book that reads, 'support your local library.' Behind her are books with titles that are commonly banned in schools.

Here's some reminders!

-Public library cards in the United States of America are free, $0, the overwhelming majority of the time, as long as you can prove your identity and your address

-If you cannot prove your address (you're experiencing homelessness or you just moved, etc), there may be a way around that to get you a free library card anyway, at least temporarily, possibly for a year or more

-If you lose your library card, many many many library systems will replace it for free and many others will do so for $1 or $2

-Many library systems are going fee or fine free as long as you return the book in good condition

-Public library systems in the US are not rolling in cash, generally speaking

-Library systems can only go fee or fine free if they are well-funded by other sources, so if your local library system charges late fees or card replacement fees and you don't like that, don't yell at the librarians - bother your elected officials instead and tell them you want them to give more funding to your local library