Making Your Voice Heard: Why Voting for Your Library Matters

Libraries need your support to keep providing valuable community resources.

This September 19th is National Voter Registration Day, which means Americans nationwide are doing their research and signing up to do their civic duty. However, the act of voting is often framed in a way that makes it seem cold and disconnected from our everyday lives, and many citizens view it as such. The reality, though, is that your vote doesn’t just influence what goes on in D.C. It impacts you and everyone around you, the community you live in, and the facilities that keep things running, including libraries. In light of the approaching election season, let’s take a look at a few of the most important issues to vote on in order to protect your library.

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Budgeting

Though budgeting is an issue for a large number of government-funded institutions, it’s been especially problematic for the library system as of late. Rapid inflation and a rising cost of living have led to many citizens demanding lower tax rates and price control to ease the burden. While that’s all well and good, the decrease in the government’s revenue means that something else has to give, and libraries are all too often the first thing on the chopping block.

While voting for bills that will create a lower cost of living is essential to some, be sure to also vote for bills that adequately fund your local libraries. Libraries exist to serve and support their communities, so by investing in them, you’re investing in yourself and those around you.

Sign the petition to fight book bans!

Book Bans

Next is an issue that most of us are familiar with, whether through the news, social media, or word of mouth: book bans. The issue of what information is appropriate for public institutions to make available is hotly debated on both sides of the aisle, and unfortunately, libraries often end up caught in the middle of it all.

Though we understand that this is a contentious issue and opinions vary widely, we believe that people should have access to important information at their local libraries, even if the topics in question are controversial. No matter how you vote, though, we encourage you to keep your local libraries in mind, do your research beforehand, and make an informed decision that you feel is right.

Of course, supporting your local library isn’t just a voting-season activity. If you’d like to learn more about how to help out the library system during and after casting your vote, feel free to visit us at EveryLibrary today!

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

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This work by EveryLibrary is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0