"Don't use Libby because it costs libraries too much, pirate instead" is such a weird, anti-patron, anti-author take that somehow manages to also be anti-library, in my professional librarian-ass opinion.
It's well documented that pirating books negatively affects authors directly* in a way that pirating movies or TV shows doesn't affect actors or writers, so I will likely always be anti-book piracy unless there's absolutely, positively no other option (i.e. the book simply doesn't exist outside of online archives at all, or in a particular language).
Also, yeah, Libby and Hoopla licenses are really expensive, but libraries buy them SO THAT PATRONS CAN USE THEM. If you're gonna be pissed at anybody about this shitty state of affairs, be pissed at publishing companies and continue to use Libby or Hoopla at your library so we can continue to justify having it to our funding bodies.
One of the best ways to support your library having services you like is to USE THOSE SERVICES. Yes, even if they are expensive.
*Yes, this is a blog post, but it's a blog post filled with links to news articles. If you can click one link, you can click another.
Dr. Areej, Dr. Ahmad, and their child Sarra are a Gazan family who have been suffering from displacement, hunger, and lack of medical care throughout the genocide. Along with three other members of their family — Dr. Areej's mother and Dr. Ahmad's mother and father — they are seeking to evacuate to Egypt.
Please donate what you can and share. Donations have been slow — as of March 10, they have not yet raised even $2000. Can we try to raise at least $1000 in the next few days?
All the reports coming from Rafah from the early hours of April 29 are literally identical: "Israel targeted the house of [family name]"
The same title, over and over again.
All within a couple of hours last night, three family homes in Rafah have been struck, killing at least 20, the majority of whom are women and children.
We now know about Project Lavender and we know about Israel's constant surveillance of Gaza so when I tell you that Israel had targeted civilian homes last night in Rafah, you know that there is absolutely no room for questioning Israel's intent here and always.
As part of his promise, Hussam sent 20% of your HelpGazaChildren donations ($4000) to Mahmoud AbuSalama for the 5th time now, including the earlier North Gaza Campaign (as location on our notion site) to buy food and necessary products for families still surviving the dire situation in North Gaza. The food package contains, as you see in the picture below: flour, lentils, canned food, formula, diapers, and women pads!
Please continue donating and spreading the word — every penny means so much! Feel free to share our campaign link to other platforms as well!
Donate to our GoFundMe which goes directly to Hussam, who manages camps in Rafah, with NO middleman in between!
HelpGazaChildren Notion Site || #helpgazachildren tag
GoFundMe Link
[Quick ID: The video is of Mahmoud speaking in front of bags of flour and a tumblr sign. There are captions to the video in english. The image below is of groups of packages of items in front of a tumblr sign.]