We’ve Made Some Changes

We’ve made some changes here at I Love Libraries, but one thing has remained the same: our dedication to sharing the wonderful world of libraries with you. And the facelift allows us to do that in exciting, new ways.

Get Involved: Advocate for School Libraries

As youth across the U.S. head back to school, it’s vital that we turn our attention to school libraries. Schools with a strong school library program and a certified school librarian ensure their students have the best chance to succeed. Yet, many students are returning to school without a resource essential for success: a strong school library program lead by a certified school librarian.

Get Involved! Become a Library Trustee Today

Want to get involved in your library at a higher level? Consider becoming a library trustee. Library trustees are powerful advocates for libraries. Through the coordination, hard work, and determination of trustees, new libraries have been built, budgets have been restored and increased, and new respect has been generated for the powerful role libraries play in communities and on campuses.

Take Action for Your Library This Election Year

From Congress to local library boards, our elected officials need to hear from library supporters at all levels of government—especially during election years. To launch ALA’s new Reader, Voter, Ready campaign, we’re asking library advocates to pledge to get informed, get registered, and get ready to vote!

California Governor Pens Love Letter to Libraries

We’re still buzzing from National Library Week (NLW), which wrapped on Saturday, April 29. The awareness, advocacy, and love for libraries, librarians, and library workers that we saw throughout the country was outstanding. While it would be a near-impossible task for us to highlight every single way that libraries were championed during NLW 2023, one instance stood out for us.

In addition to officially proclaiming April 23-29, 2023, to be “California Library Week,” California Governor Gavin Newsom penned a love letter to the “nation’s hardworking librarians” at the close of NLW, thanking them for their service and for changing the lives of people everywhere-himself included. We’d be lying if we said the letter didn’t bring a tear to our eyes. Here it is, in full.

 

To our nation’s hardworking librarians-

You share words with the world, and as we close out National Library Week, I want to share two words with you: Thank you.

In my childhood, I struggled with undiagnosed dyslexia. Books and words weren’t just difficult to read-they felt entirely out of reach. Without them, my world was far smaller than it could have been: I avoided classrooms and libraries for reasons I couldn’t fully understand or articulate. But as I grew, my world did too. Through support, advice, and mentorship from specialists, educators, and librarians too numerous to list, I didn’t just fall in love with words… my life started revolving around them. Because people-people like you-took the time to care about me, to show me the power of words and the power of books, I was able to find my footing in business, service, and eventually, elected office. I am in your debt.

You helped get me here. And my story isn’t unique. Librarians change lives every day. Your impact goes far beyond book recommendations (although, you have recommended many great books over the years). You help us start new chapters at every stage of our lives, showing us the magic of reading as children, and teaching us new skills in our golden years. You are the heart of our communities, providing a way out and a way up for those unsure of where they’re going-including those who are unhoused, unemployed, or simply looking for a new path.

You guard the sanctity of our pasts, good and bad, as you shepherd the possibilities of our tomorrows.

And yet, despite your indispensable contributions-or perhaps because of them-you have become the target of unjust attacks across the nation. Idealogues and demagogues are attacking you for championing diversity, inclusion, and equity-for making sure our children and all people belong. You are facing censorship, battling record numbers of book bans and challenges, as you defend free access to literary works, especially those written by authors who are often targeted: LGBTQ+ writers, writers of color, and those daring to challenge the status quo.

It is more important than ever that we have your back and that we ensure and expand access to public libraries and defend your essential role in preserving freedom. We must refuse to dabble in the zealotry of whitewashing literature and banning books. And in California, we are. Together, we’ve accomplished some incredible things: investing hundreds of millions to equitably improve and modernize your workplaces; working to preserve and share our historically and culturally significant materials by investing in library digitization; renovating and enhancing the Jewish Family and Children’s Services Holocaust Center Library and Archives building; expanding and diversifying our library resources to promote health and wellness and reflect our multilingual and multicultural communities; and beyond. We’ve even worked with Dolly Parton to establish a Statewide Imagination Library.

In California, we know libraries hold more than books-so much more. Libraries, and librarians, stand at the crossroads of opportunity and information, acting as gateways to online job training and educational upskilling programs; to state parks by enabling people to check out a parks pass, regardless of income; and to food through free lunch programs. And above all else, our library walls hold the most valuable treasure: you.

So, I will continue to stand up for you – and stand up to those that get in your way. California has your back, because you’ve always had ours. You’ve always had mine.

I know from my own challenges with dyslexia that when we help people read, we help them succeed. You do that every day. The value of a librarian is inestimable-you go beyond books, and even beyond knowledge. You open the doors to possibility. To opportunity, imagination, and the pursuit of freedom. I’ve experienced it firsthand.

This National Library Week, and always, thank you.

In gratitude,

Gavin Newsom

Governor of California

 

Thanks to Governor Newsom-and many other governors and state leaders-for celebrating and providing incredible visibility for libraries during NLW. Keep the love going throughout the year!

Photo: Gage Skidmore, via Wikimedia Commons

Take Action for Libraries!

Today is Take Action for Libraries Day, an annual day of action during National Library Week!

From Congress to local library boards, our elected officials need to hear from library supporters at all levels of government. This year, library advocates like you are joining together to tell Congress to protect the freedom to read and stand against censorship. Threats to the right to read have increased dramatically in recent years, and Congress must stand against any attempts to restrict intellectual freedom.

Use these tools to take action and remind Congress why the freedom to read must be protected. 

Tell Congress to stand with school libraries

Library champions in Congress just reintroduced critical legislation to support school libraries and students’ freedom to read! The Right to Read Act, introduced by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ-7), would create protections for school librarians and students’ right to read, as well as require every student to have access to a school library, staffed by a certified school librarian. This legislation has the potential to impact millions of students across the country, providing a much-needed infusion of funding for school libraries, and a huge step forward in the fight against censorship.

The American Library Association is urging members of Congress to stand with school librarians, students, and other educators nationwide by cosponsoring this legislation. Take action and urge your members of Congress to sign on!

Bring Congress to your library

Invite your members of Congress to a virtual or in-person tour of your library! Showcasing the successes and needs of your library to your elected officials is a great way to establish relationships with elected leaders. Check out the in-person tour checklist, and learn more about how to successfully welcome Congress into your library with our dedicated tour resource page which includes recorded sample tours. 

Conduct an in-person library tour

Let’s Celebrate Library Card Sign-Up Month!

It’s Library Card Sign-Up Month (LCSUM)! Held each September, LCSUM is an annual reminder that library cards empower individuals and communities by providing free access to technology, multimedia content, educational programming, and much more. A library card opens up a world of learning for everyone and is one of the most cost-effective back-to-school supplies available. 

“During economic shifts, libraries help to foster resilience in the community by providing resources to support patrons in their creative and entrepreneurial endeavors,” says American Library Association (ALA) President Lessa Kananiʻopua Pelayo-Lozada. “A library card offers a wide range of opportunities for the community to find its voice and passion. I encourage everyone to up for a card at your local library and explore the resources and services that are available.” 

If you love libraries-and the access they provide to rich and diverse worlds-we invite you to join the festivities and help spread the word about the value of a library card. Here are a few ways you can participate:

Encourage others to get a library card

You have a library card, of course. But does your best friend? Neighbor? Cousin? Secret crush? There’s no time like to present to persuade those people in your life to register for a library card. Remind them that signing up for a library card is free and easy, and that libraries are still better than the internet.

Show off your library card

Share a photo of yourself with your library card using the hashtag #GetLibraryCarded for a chance to win $100!

Idina Menzel READ posterPost to Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #GetLibraryCarded. Entries can also be submitted by posting as a comment or wall post on the I Love Libraries Facebook page. Be sure not to reveal any personal information on your library card, and don’t forget to tag your library! The creator of one randomly selected post will receive a $100 Visa gift card and a poster of choice from ALA Graphics. Three second-place winners will receive their poster of choice from ALA Graphics.

The #GetLibraryCarded promotion begins Thursday, September 1, at noon CT and ends Friday, September 23, at noon CT. All library lovers and librarians are encouraged to participate. The promotion is open to residents of the United States, Washington, D.C., and U.S. Territories. ALA employees are not eligible to participate. Find the official rules at the LCSUM website.

Spread the word on social media

Libraries and library supporters are using the hashtag #LibraryCardSignUpMonth on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to help get the word out about the value of a library card. The Library Card Sign-up Month website has tons of sample social media posts and graphics for free download featuring this year’s LCSUM Honorary Chairs, Tony Award-winning performer, actress, singer-songwriter, and philanthropist Idina Menzel and her sister, author and educator Cara Mentzel!

Display a library-themed yard sign

yard signLet your neighbors know you’re a proud library card holder with these awesome yard signs from ALA. Pick your favorite sign-options include “Library card holders live here” and “In this house, we support libraries”-or design your own, then print and display to jazz up your yard.

 

Visit the Library Card Sign-Up Month website for more ways to celebrate!