How You Can Take Action to Support Your Library

Libraries are a well-loved part of communities, providing invaluable resources and free communal spaces for people to gather. Unfortunately, they have long struggled against various threats, such as cuts to their funding and book bans. But just as libraries help out their communities, communities can help out libraries.

Take Action for Libraries Day

Take Action for Libraries Day is part of the annual celebration of National Library Week, which highlights the vital role libraries and library staff play in transforming lives and strengthening communities. The first National Library Week was observed in 1958, while Take Action for Libraries Day was launched in 2017.

Observed on the Thursday of National Library Week, Take Action for Libraries Day focuses on library advocacy, encouraging library patrons and staff to take action to support libraries across the country. On this day, library advocates join together to tell legislators, from the national to the local level, to protect library funding and the freedom to read.

Library advocacy can be as simple as signing an online petition or as big as marching on Washington. There are many different ways people can get involved to show their support and protect libraries, and with the recent rise in book bans and government spending cuts, that support is more important than ever.

Send an email to your Representatives to show your support for libraries!

Notable Successes of Library Advocacy

Patrons have banded together to save and improve their libraries for years, and anyone can participate in taking action to champion such an important pillar of their community. While the threats to libraries can seem insurmountable at times, advocates have proven time and again that strong support can lead to success.

The Broome County Public Library suffered disastrous budget cuts and lost half its staff. But thanks to the Friends of the Broome County Public Library, the library received the funds needed to continue its programs and maintain resources. The Friends started as a “garden party-type” group in the 1960s but is now a vital community mainstay that runs fundraisers to supplement the library’s budget.

Friends of the Library groups like the one in Broome County are run by volunteers who contribute regularly to libraries by helping with book sales and other events. Of course, not everyone has the time to volunteer for groups like that, but anyone can still actively support their local libraries through smaller, everyday activities like making or engaging with social media posts or participating in letter-writing campaigns.

When the New York Public Library (NYPL) was recently under threat of losing significant funding, New Yorkers came out in force to show their support for the library system. People sent 174,000 letters to City Hall and wrote over 1,000 sticky notes to share their love for the NYPL. They also posted on social media and got #NoCutsToLibraries trending nationally. This outpouring of love and support from people in the community helped save the NYPL’s funding.

Sometimes, even when things look hopeless, library communities can rally and save the day. The Tinton Falls Public Library was forced to close due to mold, and after applying for a construction grant to pay for the needed maintenance to reopen, the grant fell through. The staff held fundraisers, including a music festival, to help achieve their funding goal, and thankfully, they were able to reopen the library in 2024.

Sign the pledge to vote for libraries!

EveryLibrary Helps Out

There have also been plenty of successes in library advocacy thanks to EveryLibrary, which has done a lot to help libraries across the country. When the Alpena County Library was under threat of losing its funding due to a contentious election, EveryLibrary helped the library’s board and staff with their information campaign to get the word out about this important election. Thankfully, the library was saved and allowed to stay open.

EveryLibrary also assisted the Huntington Beach Library when it was facing privatization by providing pro bono support to the library and local advocates, such as the library’s Friends group. This gave the Huntington Beach Library the resources needed to fight the privatization efforts and keep the library as is.

In fact, EveryLibrary has partnered with dozens of libraries to help support funding and the right to read. The team helped fight censorship at North Hunterdon High and in Washoe County, Nevada, keeping important and educational books on the shelves that had been threatened by small but vocal minorities of people calling for their removal.

Your donations help support libraries across the country.

How You Can Support Your Library

All of those library wins could never have happened without ordinary people showing up to support their local libraries. If you want to show your support, too, there are many ways you can help advocate for libraries, both in your own community and across the country.

You can join your local Friends of the Library group. Ask someone at your library if there is a Friends group, or check out the library’s website to see if there’s a link. If your library doesn’t have a Friends group yet, you can help start one.

You can also send an email to Congress to let your representatives know you support libraries. Signing petitions and pledges is another great way to take action for libraries, such as the petition against book bans and the pledge to vote for libraries, to share your intention to vote for candidates who support libraries and the freedom to read. Fight for the First has many petitions you can sign to show your support for the First Amendment’s right to read.

The options listed above are just a few of the actions you can take to help your local library. On Take Action for Libraries Day, do something to show you care about libraries and help them keep going even in these uncertain times. But you don’t have to limit your actions to just this one day. Tomorrow, the next day, or the day after that—libraries need your help now and always. So volunteer, sign a petition, or send an email. Take action now!

Visit www.everylibrary.org to learn more about our work on behalf of libraries. 

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