On Libraries
The Guardian kicked off September with an article titled “US public libraries at ‘breaking point’ amid ideological attacks, report finds.” The report upon which the article is based is a PEN America one.
The article opens with a broad, grim list of issues libraries are facing: book bans; harassment of and attacks against librarians (verbal and physical); funding cuts; cancellations of programs like story hours; censorship; bomb threats; protests.
It details more specific incidents across the country. The appointment of a rightwing activist to a library board in TN, whose interest in such a position appears to have been politically motivated, being that she’s seeking to remove “woke” material from libraries. ID lawmakers giving hiring/firing authority over library directors to city councils. And, well, you can read the article yourself as linked above.
Before I go any further to discuss my thoughts on this, if you are a person so burdened by hate and stupidity that you have sought to become verbally or physically aggressive with a librarian over their curation, if that thought has even crossed your mind, I want you to click the X at the top righthand corner of this page and fuck yourself. I’m assuming this note is unnecessary, it being unlikely that a person of such character is literate enough to be here, but in the slimmest of chances that’s you, know that I do not want your support, I do not want your readership, I do not want you.
As for the rest of you, there couldn’t be a more important time to support your local library. Do not give any weight to the argument that libraries are unneeded. They are one of the most glowing aspects of this country—one of the best uses of our tax dollars, without question. And just consider all the things you can do with a library membership without even having to leave your home, without any cost to you beyond your taxes:
Libby. You can borrow ebooks just like physical books. And this includes audiobooks.
Hoopla. For audiobooks, music, movies, manga, comics—my God, the options!
Kanopy. For film and television, streaming right to your phone or TV like some kind of library Netflix.
Or go in person! I go at least monthly and attend the Society of Midwestern Authors meetings. We critique writing, discuss the craft and marketing, and simply support one another. You can get books, movies on blu-ray, video games, comics, access the Internet with computers they provide! Some have tutors, others have instruments. Some even offer free access to local attractions like museums. There’s air conditioning on hot days, and heating on cold ones.
And if you’re a veteran, be sure to use the DOD MWR Libraries system. At least browse it. There’s tons of cool things to entertain yourself and your family, for self-betterment and education like home-improvement or entrepreneurship or horticulture.
There are so many reasons to be involved with the library. Just check it out, at least once. Stroll through on a boring day and see what it can offer.
Or don’t. You don’t have to do squat with the library but simply take the couple of minutes required to get a card. That is the bare minimum to give it your support. Get a card and sit on it.
Now, back to the article. Look, there’s going to be content you disagree with. More than two million books are published annually (probably rising exponentially with the advent of AI). I could walk into a library and see, not just shelved but displayed, a book celebrating the life of Charlie Kirk, or some nonsense Limbaugh peddled back in the 90s.
And I could do many things in that moment.
I could throw a fit like a child. Yes, like a child with mood instability and uncontrolled emotional reactivity, I could throw myself onto the ground before the librarian and kick and scream and demand that it be thrown onto a burning pile of everything I find offensive. And I could kick, scream, and cry my way right onto the library board (because this country seems to reward such behavior) and continue to be the screaming child until I have my way.
Or, I could carry on and find something that interests me. And then I could be a happy person.
How? How did we get to this point, where a legitimate third space that offers self-education services and comfort can be so easily vilified? Public libraries should have nonpartisan support.
I really can’t stress enough how important it is for you to simply get a library card. There may be a day when there is a strong push by a loud, greedy, powerful few to dismantle the public library and establish the private library. We’re seeing it with the VA and USPS. So get a card and protect this space before it’s gone.
