Join the fight against censorship by taking ACTION.
We all know that the vast majority of Americans support public libraries and the freedom to read.
But we’re being out-organized by a small minority of people on the Right who are banning books, defunding libraries, and limiting access to services. If we want to make a difference, we need to be in the rooms where it’s happening - and we’re here to help you.
Find out when your local school and/or library board meets.
Commit to attending AT LEAST 3 meetings in 2024.
Use our Board Watcher Bingo card while attending the meetings. https://bit.ly/boardbingo
Who funds your local library system? Advocate to INCREASE and EXPAND funding for public libraries. Oppose all cuts!
Run for or seek appointment to your local school and/or library board. Join our upcoming candidate cohort!
Tell us about it! Fill out this form to tell us the actions you’ve committed to (the first ten folks to do so will get a small gift mailed to them from us!)
This week, commit to taking specific actions to show up for your local public library.
And keep scrolling to find even more things you can do to support your public library!
SHOW UP TO A PUBLIC MEETING
Your local library system has a governing board of some kind, and they have public meetings. You can attend these meetings and say something, whether that’s speaking up against book banning or thanking your library staff for displaying and promoting a diverse collection of materials.
BECOME A BOARD WATCHER
Have you heard of Court Watchers? The central idea of that project is that "bad things happen in empty courtrooms," (which, let's be real, bad things happen in all courtrooms). Bad things also happen at unattended public library Board of Trustee meetings, so become a BOARD WATCHER.
PICK FROM A LIST OF TEN OPTIONS
You know that taking action locally is the only way anything will change - so here are ten ways you can make a difference in your local library system, from getting a library card, to attending programming, to joining a Friends of the Library group, to running for office.
LEARN HOW OTHER FOLKS DID IT
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 on how they made a difference in their local public libraries.
JOIN OUR CANDIDATE COHORT
We have to build power in our public libraries, and that means getting leftists like you appointed and elected to library boards. For The People is assembling our 2025 cohort of candidates who will receive 12 weeks of training in three 4-week sections to help them get elected or appointed.