#local libraries

[jackie-q]

Hiccup Noooooo

Hiccup: Remember kids, always support your local library.

Zephyr: What if the library isn't your local one?

Hiccup: Oh, then they're up for a full on raid!

Astrid: Hiccup, no!

Hiccup: Hiccup, YES!

[dazzlerazz]

Library Propaganda

Please go to your local library PLEASE

I love libraries, they've always been there for me and will always be there for you as well

Please don't let the libraries die out

[envirogoth]

hi happy earth day :) I hope you all had a nice day and thought about mother earth. i was exhausted after a long week and also had to get some blood drawn so I was too tired to do much. and I do my best to keep my everyday activities environmentally friendly, so not much different to do today:)

my schools library advisory club that im in was planning to do a trash pickup around the school ground this week for earth day, along with a spring fundraiser to raise money for our library. our school district just lost a huge amount of funding bc the state funded schools less and our referendum for more money failed. everywhere in the school needs fundraisers more than ever. the student body has been very responsive to this and is planning a walk out protest, on Monday, and during a school board meeting many students came to vouch for teachers being let go (misguided imo since the school board doesn't have the budget- if not those teachers, then it would just be someone else) but either way I'm proud that students here are getting involved in things that matter.

as a student body, there will also be many letters, emails, and calls to local and state government about this issue. it makes me happy to see people coming together for this, in a purple state and red county too.

student involvement is one of the best things a school can have, second to dedicated teachers. teachers are the best people on this earth and they deserve so much.

whenever I heard about student involvement before, I just thought about pep rallies and football games. maybe it's because the majority of my high school experience has been clouded by covid, or that I was depressed and cynical, but I had never seen how cool it could be. not to mention the club I'm in has wonderful people that really want to make a difference at my school, and my art teacher has made a huge impact on my outlook! Im so lucky to have such a dedicated school, in spite of the issues with certain mulleted groups of students.

community is such a wonderful thing to have. cherish the one your in, and the people next to you<3

[charliespringsleftconverse]

I need to get on my soapbox for a second. There’s this app called Overdrive (that is now called Libby) that you can use for free and it connects to your local library. It allows you to read and listen to any books that your library has available. It’s literally the best thing I’ve never spent money on.

I’ve read SO many novels, graphic novels, and listened to a ridiculous amount of books on there. If you love reading and you love saving money, consider checking the app out!

I’m sharing this as someone who lives on a budget. I have not spent over 20 dollars on books this past year. I’ve bought some books because I wanted to pre-order from favorite authors but this app has single handedly changed my life. Hopefully, it helps you too!

[jenni3penny]

So, also, this recently happened...

[lowkeiloki]

borrowed a DVD from our local library, peace and love on planet earth

[myjetpack]

a cartoon for the guardian

[thistle-nightshade]

Drag Queen Story Hour at the local library is something that people get in their feels about in my community. It's sparked a few protests, which have then sparked counterprotests. My first time ever attending, there were quite a few anti-queer signs and bullhorns. But these were overwhelmingly drowned out by the show of support, the rainbow flags, the loving people who showed up to protect kids from the hate. This was a few years ago, but the haters are still looking for an opportunity to wedge this event out.

This week there was a non-action item on a library board meeting for Drag Queen Story Hour. People had made plans to voice their opinions against it, so the community got organized and got more people to voice their opinions in favor of it. It took the board members by surprise because it was a non-action item, but it feels important to make sure voices of hate don't go unchallenged. By the end, I believe 11 people had spoken up against DQSH, and 31 had spoken in favor of the event.

Shoutout to the person who invoked David Bowie, to one of the Drag Queens who reads at the events who shared their wholesome experiences they've had while participating, to the one singular person who did a pronoun drop, to the author who originally wasn't going to speak but got so fed up with the constant deluge of "I don't think we should ban books, but..." that he stood up and did a 3 minute ted talk on access and why it's vital. Also, honorable mention to the man who was against drag queen story hour and just stood up to say "Ditto to [last person who spoke]." If more people had taken that route, it would have saved a bunch of time because most of the people against were just spouting the same sound bite over and over again.

To everyone who "didn't want to ban books" but wanted sexually explicit material moved out of reach of children: My dudes. The library is literally already divided by age group. That's why there is a children's section and an adult section.

To the one person "speaking for thousands in the community who are against DGSH": Sweetheart, where they at???

To everyone who thinks any book with a queer person in it is sexually explicit material: STOP SEXUALIZING QUEER PEOPLE.

To the one person who's piping hot take was that Drag Queens hate women: Ya'll can go rot, thanks so much.

To the person who wanted to shock us: Saying the words fisting and anal very loudly doesn't mean that you're right. I'll give you my whole goddamn yearly salary if you can find one children's book in our public libraries that have either of those things. I would also like to mention that none of the people who came in favor of DGSH and none of the queer people in attendance used sexually explicit language to make their point.

And to the board members who are concerned about the money that was raised by an outside organization, that never touched library hands, that was used to pay for this event: Stop Wasting My Time.

[anotherpapercut]

yesterday I went to a little meeting at my local queer community center and I was admiring their bookshelves and mentioned that I work at the public library and someone said "well I bet they don't have any [LGBTQ+ books] at our library" and I was like um. yes we do. we have tons of them. half of our employees are queer leftists so they said "oh well I bet they don't in [nearby rural county]" and I was like uh once again yes they absolutely do. gay people live and work there as well

so here's a quick reminder that if you don't think your local library has enough queer centered materials you should actually check before assuming, and if you're not satisfied with their collection you should submit a request for more such books. I don't know what the political landscape of libraries looks like outside the us rn, but within the us no matter where you are, I promise you there are employees at your library fighting for inclusion and intellectual freedom and they can't win without vocal public support

[yeehawpim]

[thebibliosphere]

I've had a couple of messages over the last few days from folks saying things like, "Sorry, I can only afford to get your book through the library," and I need you to know I am gripping you by the shoulders, I am shaking you gently, and I am begging you stop apologizing for using library services.

After Amazon and Payhip, the quarterly checks I get from Overdrive/Libby are my biggest and most reliable source of income.

My readers have been nothing but feral in their quest to get Hunger Pangs into as many libraries as possible, and while library lending pays an exceptionally modest amount, if enough people do it (which many of you evidently are), those pennies add up.

I am guaranteed at least $20 a month in library lending royalties. That might not sound like much to some folks, but to me, that's my b12 supplements covered for the month. That's the thing I need to keep me alive paid for.

I will never resent anyone who uses libraries instead of buying books.

I'm a disabled author who lives month to month at the mercy of my medical expenses. Even though I have incredibly generous patrons and supporters, I know what it's like to not be able to afford things.

Use the library. Please.

Use it guilt-free. You're helping the library and the authors, probably more than you realize.

And if you're in the US and haven't signed up for a @queerliblib free library card yet, you should! it doesn't matter what state you're in, the Queer Liberation Library offers free access to their catalogue of queer media across the US.

And if you've got the means, maybe help them out with a little donation. They're only able to expand their collection via the support of their patrons, and the work they're doing is hugely important.

[violenceenthusiast]

the third edition of Julia Serano's foundational and ever-relevant Whipping Girl (the book in which the term 'transmisogyny' was coined!!) just came out, with a new afterword on the current anti-trans backlash and you can order a copy directly from her publisher using the code SERANO20 for 20% off through the end of march

[hellsitegenetics]

Hello! I run the social media for my local library and I was just wondering what sort of plant or creature might emerge if I talk about books here. Just a lil guy perhaps, to encourage public library use. A new library mascot to say "Books are cool! Reading is fun!" etc. Thank you for your time and efforts. 📚

String identified: ! t ca a ca a a a t g at t at cat gt g ta at . t a g a, t cag c a . A a act t a " a c! ag !" tc. Ta t a t. 📚

Closest match: Lutra lutra genome assembly, chromosome: 14 Common name: Eurasian Otter

[twinprime]

this excerpt means everything to me you don’t understand

from The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano, 2008

[transannabeth]

btw if you borrow dvds or cds from library you can rip them onto your own blanks or onto your hard drive or whatever. librarians don’t care and they won’t know if you do it or not

[myjetpack]

A cartoon about #bannedbooks or the @guardian