Public library systems across the United States play a critical role in public life, offering free books and other materials, a place for children and adults to gather and learn, somewhere to use the bathroom or regulate in extreme temperatures, and access to technology and the internet. But in most US cities, public libraries only receive a tiny fraction of the funding that goes to policing.

What would it look like if we funded public libraries the way we fund police departments? Can you imagine how that would transform your city?

Along with parks, libraries are one of the only remaining free public institutions with a low barrier to entry. Library staff form the backbone of this institution, carrying a deep knowledge of library resources and how to find them, and also often supporting people in moments of crisis and filling in other gaps in our social safety net. As shown by our research, in cities of all sizes across the United States, library funding consistently declines or plateaus, while local governments prioritize ever-increasing budgets for cops and cages. There is no clearer contrast: on the one hand, seemingly infinite resources for the violence and death of the modern militarized surveillance state, and on the other, shoestring budgets for public libraries that promote learning, community, curiosity, and life.

Libraries are often used as political pawns by those who threaten and privatize the common good, first in line for cuts in austerity budgets and targeted by conservatives who reject the very notion of public spaces that welcome everyone. We on the Left(s) know libraries are a site of political contest, not just for what they currently are, but for the possibility they represent: humane, life-giving, and equitable public infrastructure that serves the people rather than capital. This collection of snapshots gives an overview of how libraries are funded, governed, and used by communities, and highlights the stark and indefensible contrast between funding for policing and funding for public libraries in cities across the US. It is our hope that these resources can contribute to a better understanding of the library as a domain where we can build local power. We encourage you to take on this kind of analysis within your own community, and to use what you learn to fight for a better future for all of us.

Download individual city snapshot posters below