PUBLIC PUBLIC PUBLIC LIBRARIES LIBRARIES LIBRARIES
FOR THE PEOPLE: A LEFTIST LIBRARY PROJECT
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CAN I DO?
U B L I C L I B R A R I E S . . . . h o w t h e y ’ r e
f u n d e d , w h o
m a k e s d e c i s i o n s ,
a n d w h a t w e c a n
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y o u r l o c a l p u b l i c
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a r e o n e o f o u r
f e w r e m a i n i n g
c o m m o n g o o d s .
M a n y o f u s h a v e a c a t a l o g o f p o s i t i v e m e m o r i e s f r o m
p u b l i c l i b r a r i e s . A s a r e s u l t , i t ’ s e a s y t o
r o m a n t i c i z e
l i b r a r i e s a n d l i b r a r y w o r k .
B u t p u b l i c l i b r a r i e s - i n a d d i t i o n t o b e i n g
e s s e n t i a l t h i r d s p a c e s , c r i t i c a l
c o m m o n g o o d s , a n d v i t a l p a r t s o f
o u r c o m m u n i t i e s - a r e a l s o
P O L I T I C A L I N S T I T U T I O N S .
M o s t p u b l i c l i b r a r i e s - l i k e
m o s t s c h o o l s y s t e m s - a r e
g o v e r n e d b y a n e l e c t e d o r
a p p o i n t e d s e t o f p u b l i c
o f f i c i a l s :
A L I B R A R
Y
B O A R D .
R U N N I N G F O R A S E A T O N ( O R S E E K I N G
A N A P P O I N T M E N T T O ) Y O U R L I B R A R Y
B O A R D I S V I T A L . S Y S T E M S W I L L V A R Y , B U T G E N E R A L L Y L I B R A R Y B O A R D S C A N :
S E T A N D A P P R O V E P U B L I C
L I B R A R Y P O L I C I E S
T h i s i n c l u d e s c r i t i c a l p o l i c i e s l i k e c o l l e c t i o n d e v e l o p m e n t a n d
b o o k c h a l l e n g e p o l i c i e s ( w h i c h c a n d e f e n d a g a i n s t b o o k b a n
a n d c e n s o r s h i p a t t e m p t s ) ; e m p l o y e e p o l i c i e s a b o u t w o r k i n g
c o n d i t i o n s ; p a t r o n p o l i c i e s t h a t d e t e r m i n e h o w c o m m u n i t y
m e m b e r s a r e t r e a t e d ; a n d s a f e t y a n d d a t a p o l i c i e s .
O V E R S E E T H E L I B R A R Y
B U D G E T & F U N D I N G
M o s t l i b r a r i e s n e e d m o r e m o n e y , a n d l i b r a r y b o a r d s c a n b o t h
s e t f i s c a l p r i o r i t i e s a n d - i n s o m e c i r c u m s t a n c e s - e x p a n d
f u n d i n g f o r l i b r a r i e s v i a b o n d m e a s u r e s , a d d i t i o n a l t a x e s , o r
f u n d r a i s i n g p a r t n e r s h i p s .
S E T S T R A T E G I C P R I O R I T I E S
F O R T H E L I B R A R Y S Y S T E M
W h a t i s t h e l i b r a r y s y s t e m d o i n g ? W h e r e i s i t h e a d e d ? T h e
L i b r a r y B o a r d s e t s t h e d i r e c t i o n a n d c a n w o r k t o e n s u r e t h a t
c o m m u n i t y p r i o r i t i e s a r e r e f l e c t e d a t e v e r y l e v e l .
H I R E , F I R E , A N D / O R
E V A L U A T E T H E L I B R A R Y
D I R E C T O R
T h e L i b r a r y D i r e c t o r o v e r s e e s t h e l i b r a r y s y s t e m ’ s s t a f f , a n d
t h e B o a r d o v e r s e e s , s u p p o r t s , a n d e v a l u a t e s t h e D i r e c t o r .
L I B R A R I E S F O R T H E P E O P L E .
TAKE A CLOSER LOOK TAKE A CLOSER LOOK TAKE A CLOSER
t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s , a n d c
l l e c t e d - w i t h t h e
h e l p o f h u n d r e d s o f v o l u n t e e r s - i n f o r m a t i o n
o n t h e g o v e r n a n c e o f m o r e t h a n 7 , 0 0 0
s y s t e m s , i n f o r m a t i o n n o t a v a i l a b l e a n y w h e r e
e l s e .
F T P ’ s r e s e a r c h s h o w e d t h a t t h e m a j o r i t y
o f l i b r a r y b o a r d s e a t s i n t h e U S - 8 3 % - a r e
a p p o i n t e d p o s i t i o n s . T h o s e a p p o i n t m e n t s
a r e u s u a l l y m a d e b y o t h e r l o c a l e l e c t e d
o f f i c i a l s ( c i t y c o u n c i l s , c o u n t y b o a r d s o f
s u p e r v i s o r s , e t c ) . T h e r e m a i n i n g 1 5 %
o f s e a t s a r e d i r e c t l y e l e c t e d b y v o t e r s .
I t ’ s c r i t i c a l t o k n o w h o w
y o u r l i b r a r y s y s t e m f i t s i n
t o y o u r l o c a l g o v e r n m e n t .
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o f l i b r a r y s y s t e m s
n a t i o n w i d e a r e p a r t o f a
m u n i c i p a l l o c a l
g o v e r n m e n t , i n a t o w n ,
v i l l a g e , o r c i t y . I n t h o s e
s i t u a t i o n s , a l i b r a r y b o a r d
o f t e n h a s a m o r e a d v i s o r y
r o l e t o a c i t y c o u n c i l o r
o t h e r s i m i l a r b o d y , w h o
u l t i m a t e l y c o n t r o l b u d g e t
a n d p o l i c y .
W
H O
P A Y S F O R
P U B L I C
L I B R A R I E S ?
Y O U R L O C A L C O M M U N I T Y D O E S .
T h e v a s t m a j o r i t y ( 8 7 % ) o f
a l l f u n d i n g f o r p u b l i c
l i b r a r i e s c o m e s f r o m l o c a l
r e v e n u e s , w i t h b e t w e e n 6 -
7 % e a c h c o m i n g f r o m s t a t e
f u n d i n g a s w e l l a s f i n e s ,
f e e s , a n d d o n a t i o n s . L e s s
t h a n 1 % o f a l l f u n d i n g f o r
p u b l i c l i b a r i e s c o m e s f r o m
t h e f e d e r a l g o v e r n m e n t .
L O C A L S O U R C E S c a n v a r y
b u t g e n e r a l l y i n c l u d e o n e o r
m o r e o f t h e f o l l o w i n g :
D e d i c a t e d p r o p e r t y t a x e s
G e n e r a l f u n d a p p r o p r i a t i o n s
L o c a l c a p i t a l b o n d s
D e d i c a t e d s a l e s t a x
Donations, Fines, and Fees Federal
8 7 %
U n d e r s t a n d i n g h o w m o n e y f l o w s t h r o u g h
y o u r l i b r a r y i s C R I T I C A L . L i b r a r y b u d g e t s
a r e p u b l i c r e c o r d s , o f t e n p o s t e d o n l i n e -
t r a c k y o u r s d o w n a n d f o l l o w t h e m o n e y !
FOLLOW THE MONEY
B A S I C S
L I B R A R Y S Y S T E M P R O F I L E
L i b r a r y S y s t e m N a m e :
L i b r a r y W e b s i t e :
S y s t e m T y p e :
C i t y / M u n i c i p a l
C o u n t y
L i b r a r y D i s t r i c t
O t h e r
N u m b e r o f L o c a t i o n s / B r a n c h e s :
A n n u a l O p e r a t i n g B u d g e t :
N a m e o f C u r r e n t L i b r a r y D i r e c t o r :
L I B R A R Y B O A R D
N u m b e r o f S e a t s o n B o a r d :
W h a t t h e c u r r e n t B o a r d M e m b e r s ’ t e r m s ?
W h e n a n d w h e r e d o e s t h e B o a r d m e e t ?
H o w i s t h e b o a r d c o n s t i t u t e d ( e l e c t i o n o r a p p o i n t m e n t ) ?
I F E L E C T E D :
W h o v o t e s ?
W h e n a r e e l e c t i o n s h e l d ?
W h e n i s t h e n e x t u p c o m i n g e l e c t i o n ?
W h e n w a s t h e m o s t r e c e n t e l e c t i o n ? W h a t h a p p e n e d ?
I F A P P O I N T E D :
W h o d e c i d e s o n a p p o i n t m e n t s ?
W h a t i s t h e p r o c e s s f o r g e t t i n g a p p o i n t e d ?
H o w o f t e n a r e a p p o i n t m e n t s m a d e ?
W h e n w a s t h e m o s t r e c e n t a p p o i n t m e n t ?
W h a t i s t h e n e x t u p c o m i n g a p p o i n t m e n t ?
I
N T H E M
E A
N T I M E . . .
S H O W U P T O A
B O A R D M E E T I N G
J u s t s h o w u p a n d l i s t e n - w h a t ’ s o n t h e
a g e n d a ? W h a t i s t h e B o a r d u p t o ? W h a t a r e
t h e y t a l k i n g a b o u t - a n d w h a t a r e t h e y n o t
t a l k i n g a b o u t ? F o r m o r e i n f o a n d a d d i t i o n a l
g u i d a n c e , c h e c k o u t F T P ’ s B o a r d W a t c h e r
B i n g o .
0 2
J O I N Y O U R
L O C A L
F R I E N D S
O F T H E
L I B R A R Y
G R O U P
M o s t p u b l i c l i b r a r i e s h a v e a s u p p o r t g r o u p o f v o l u n t e e r s , u s u a l l y
c a l l e d t h e F r i e n d s o f t h e L i b r a r y ( o r s o m e t h i n g s i m i l a r ) . L o o k i n t o
y o u r l o c a l F r i e n d s g r o u p , a n d f i n d o u t h o w t o j o i n - y o u ’ l l b e a b l e
t o l e n d y o u r s p e c i f i c s e t o f s k i l l s t o a n o r g a n i z a t i o n t h a t n e e d s
y o u r h e l p . F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n , c h e c k o u t t h e A L A ’ s g u i d e t o
F r i e n d s o r g a n i z a t i o n s .
S E T U P A L E M O N A D E
S T A N D A N D T A L K T O
Y O U R N E I G H B O R S
A B O U T L I B R A R I E S .
S h a r e w h a t y o u ’ v e f o u n d o u t w i t h y o u r n e i g h b o r s - a n d
a s k t h e m w h a t t h e i r e x p e r i e n c e o f y o u r l o c a l l i b r a r y
s y s t e m h a s b e e n W h a t d o t h e y l i k e ? W h a t ’ s a c h a l l e n g e ?
D o w n l o a d F T P ’ s L i b r a r i e s & L e m o n a d e T o o l k i t f o r a n A t o
Z g u i d e s o e a s y , e v e n k i d s c a n d o i t ( a n d h a v e ! ) .
0 3
0 1 0 6 1 0 0 8 0 4 0 9 0 7 0 5 0 3 0 2 G E T ( A N
B R A R Y
Actively using your library card to borrow books, ebooks, graphic novels, media, and other resources is critical to helping libraries maintain and expand their annual public funding sources.
Find out what elected body oversees your library - is it a city council, a library board, or some other group? Support, vote for, and advocate for elected officials who will support public libraries.
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S U P P O R T
Most libraries have a Friends of the Library group or a foundation that helps support the library. Join other library lovers to help volunteer, fundraise, and get the word out to your neighbors!
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Actively attend programs that your library is putting on, and bring a friend (or five). Branch out and try new options - many libraries depend on meeting attendance goals to maintain diverse programming.
Speak up locally for the freedom to access and read diverse materials - fight back against book bans and censorship. For more, visit UniteAgainstBookBans.org to learn about ongoing efforts you can join.
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