We must support librarians who observe and hold dear the American Library Association (ALA) Bill of Rights (Library Bill of Rights | ALA). In said Bill of Rights, the ALA affirms absolute agnosticism in our efforts to insure an informed electorate. We collect and make available all information, however objectionable or contrary to our own personal beliefs. Call us librarians, library staff, or whatever the hell designation, it makes no difference – we all go to work every day, dedicated to providing information to the masses for free.
It is a thankless job, usually at constant risk for funding. I’ve watched my husband hold forth in front of a Mississippi County Board of Supervisors and defend the local public library in the Mississippi Delta. Free libraries are the people’s university. Behind the scenes, library staff fight against Draconian licensing terms of use and insidious capitalistic ploys to sell public domain historical documents back to said public.
With Trump in office, we must protect public libraries. We simply must.
When I’m at the local branch, I put whatever change I have on me into their donation box. When I clear out my bookshelves, I give them the good stuff to sell in their volunteer-run bookstore.
Oh, the liberrys. They do need the munny. Funny. But when said liberry have no more munny, which is cute and lovely, then what? Where will the disenfranchised come for the Internet? Hang out at a downtown public library during a recession. See who is there. It’s your neighbor. Your old roommate. The liberry ain’t no joke.
Between the Seattle Public Library and The King County Library I have stumbled on all kinds of movies I never would have watched, music I probably would never have listened to and many many books of the dead tree and electronic variety that I may never have read. Heck I burned through a whole series of books after just browsing the stacks and thinking the first one looked like fun. It was and so were the other 4 and they are ones I would happily recommend if steampunk/weirdwest is your thing.
I have mostly given up buying books other than tomes I know I can’t finish in 2 weeks or stuff I just can’t find there and that is rare.
Libraries are awesome things and since my tax money goes to support them I may as well get some use out of them.
the library!