From attending summer science demonstrations as a kid to volunteering as a high school student, the library has always been an important presence for me.
When I was seven and my dad lost his job, my parents leaned on our community to help raise my sister and me. We got hand-me-downs from friends and food vouchers from our church — and the library became an even more central part of my life.
At least once a week, my dad would take us to the library, where my sister could get help on her homework, I could explore the children’s books, and my dad could look for jobs. As it’s done for so many others, our local library stepped up to take care of us.
Unfortunately, libraries are under political attack across much of the country.
Obsessed with “culture wars,” conservative politicians have been taking drastic measures to stop the distribution of what they call “age-inappropriate books” — which are often children’s books by and about LGBTQ+ individuals or people of color.
Last year Missouri enacted a rule defunding libraries that carry such content. And in order to comply with a restrictive new library law in Idaho, some libraries have actually banned children and forced patrons under 30 to present an ID to enter.
All told, 17 GOP-led states are considering bills that would threaten librarians with prison time for lending books that lawmakers deem “obscene” or “harmful” to minors. And even in New York City, it took a massive public outcry to reverse Democratic Mayor Eric Adams’ devastating cuts to the library system.
When politicians target libraries, communities lose. Public libraries promote equality by championing free and open access to information. They not only allow individuals to access books but also movies, music, and the internet.
A 2019 Gallup poll found that adults in low-income households visit their local libraries more than any other income group, which can help boost reading and literacy. By age 17, low-income students tend to lag behind their peers in reading by as much as four years, a disparity fueled by having less access to reading material — especially during the summer, when schools close. That’s why nearly all public libraries offer summer reading programs.
Libraries recognize and meet the needs of their patrons. In San Francisco, where homelessness is an ongoing crisis, the local library became one of the first in the country to hire an in-house social worker to provide expert help for its unhoused library users.
While legislation and programs aimed at fighting poverty remain stuck in Congress, libraries across the country already offer a variety of services to help society’s most vulnerable.
As of 2019, 75% of public libraries offered career services ranging from assistance with writing resumes and cover letters to technology training. Many also offer English as a Second Language (ESL), General Education Development (GED), and citizenship classes.
Hundreds of libraries partner with the USDA every summer to serve free meals to kids in low-income communities. And they serve as refuges during heatwaves, partnering with local governments to welcome those who need a reprieve from the scorching temperatures.
Libraries ensure that both children and adults get the help they need to succeed in life. To continue, they need our help. We need to support our local libraries by donating or volunteering where we can.
We can also pressure our lawmakers not to cut funding. Congress is currently working on the budget for the federal budget for 2025. The American Library Association has an advocacy email list that makes it easy to let your members of Congress know that funding libraries should be a national priority. You can do the same thing at the state and local levels.
Public libraries make up a foundational part of our communities. It’s up to us to help keep them that way.
Georgia Jensen is a Henry Wallace Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. This op-ed was adapted from a longer version at Inequality.org and distributed for syndication by OtherWords.org.
From The Progressive Populist, August 15, 2024
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