Thursday, October 5th, 2023 (6:00PM-7:30PM Eastern / 3:00-4:30PM Pacific)

Join us for a dynamic how-to session focused on local organizer efforts to strengthen and defend public libraries. We'll hear firsthand accounts from the Hennepin County Library Patrons Union and Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship. Discover how these organizations threw themselves into the struggle, built power, navigated challenges, and made a difference in their local public libraries.

Participants can expect to leave with lessons learned and examples of step-by-step actions that could be applied elsewhere. This event is all about practical takeaways and constructive advice that you can apply to your own local library initiatives, so please also feel encouraged to come with questions for a Q&A.

The Library Patrons Union is an explicitly leftist, community-run union of Hennepin County Library patrons (in Minnesota), organizing for more just public libraries.

Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship is an all-volunteer, grassroots organization dedicated to fighting attempts to ban or restrict books based on subjective standards of inappropriate content. They say: “We believe that informed citizens are good citizens, and access to information is the cornerstone of a functioning democracy. To that end, we oppose any legislation aimed at restricting citizens' First Amendment Rights, as well as the right to read freely.”

Access info: ASL interpretation and live captioning will be provided. Zoom link will be sent before the event to all registrants.