#library budgets

[kingsbridgelibraryteens]

Looking for ways to show the library some love (and hopefully restore our budget)?

Starting today, you can not only sign a support letter online and create a virtual sticky note to support the New York Public Library ... but you can ALSO sign a support letter in-person at your local branch!

And for a limited time, those in-person letters will be rewarded with FREE LIBRARY SWAG. So, stop by to show your library some love, and get something free in return!!!

[burins]

I know this is the Take Personal Responsibility for Systemic Issues website, but I keep seeing weirdly guilt trippy posts about libraries and ebook licenses, which are a labyrinth from hell and not actually something you personally need to feel guilty about. here are a few facts about ebook licenses you may not know:

in Libby/Overdrive, which currently operates in most US public libraries, ebook licenses vary widely in how much they cost and what their terms are. some ebooks get charged per use, some have a set number of uses before the license runs out, and others have a period of time they're good for (usually 1-2 years) with unlimited checkouts during that period before they expire. these terms are set by the publisher and can also vary from book to book (for instance, a publisher might offer two types of licenses for a book, and we might buy one copy of a book with a set number of uses we want to have but know won't move as much, and another copy with a one year unlimited license for a new bestseller we know will be really moving this year.)

you as a patron have NO way of knowing which is which.

ebook licenses are very expensive compared to physical books! on average they run about 60 bucks a pop, where the same physical book would cost us $10-15 and last us five to ten years (or much longer, if it's a hardcover that doesn't get read a lot.)

if your library uses Hoopla instead, those are all pay per use, which is why many libraries cap checkouts at anywhere between 2-10 per month.

however.

this doesn't mean you shouldn't use ebooks. this doesn't mean you should feel guilty about checking things out! we buy ebook licenses for people to use them, because we know that ebook formats are easier for a lot of people (more accessible, more convenient, easier for people with schedules that don't let them get into the library.) these are resources the library buys for you. this is why we exist. you don't need to feel guilty about using them!

things that are responsible for libraries being underfunded and having to stretch their resources:

government priorities and systemic underfunding of social services that don't turn a profit and aren't easily quantified

our society's failure to value learning and pleasure reading for their own sake

predatory ebook licensing models

things that are not responsible for libraries being underfunded:

individual patron behavior

I promise promise promise that your personal library use is not making or breaking your library's budget. your local politicians are doing that. capitalism is doing that. you are fine.

(if you want to help your local library, the number one thing you can do is to advocate for us! talk to your city or county government about how much you like the library. or call or write emails or letters. advocate for us locally. make sure your state reps know how important the library is to you. there are local advocacy groups in pretty much every state pushing for library priorities. or just ask your local librarian. we like to answer questions!

also, if you're in Massachusetts, bill h3239 would make a huge difference in letting us negotiate ebook prices more fairly. tell your rep to vote for it!)

[reasonsforhope]

"New York City officials have agreed to restore more than $111 million in funding to libraries and cultural institutions, the City Council announced Thursday [June 27, 2024].

The agreement is a victory for residents and organizations who had been pushing back for months against budget cuts in the nation’s largest city and one of the world’s foremost cultural capitals.

In November, the city announced it would cut the budget of the New York Public libraries by $58.3 million in fiscal year 2025, and slash the budget for other cultural institutions, including the Bronx Zoo and Carnegie Hall, by $53 million. The new deal reverses those cuts, and is set to be finalized in a City Council vote Sunday...

“Our arts and cultural institutions and libraries are foundational pillars of our city, and New Yorkers depend on their services every day,” said New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, thanking the mayor’s administration for reaching the deal. “The Council has consistently championed funding restorations for these institutions as a top priority, and we’re proud to reach an agreement with Mayor Adams and the administration to successfully secure these critical investments for them in the city budget.”

The news was received with collective approval from New York institutions that had been forced to cut hours and public access due to lack of funding.

“The Museum of the City of New York is delighted to learn of the restoration of cuts to the cultural sector,” the museum’s president Stephanie Hill Wilchfort told CNN in a statement.

“This support makes it possible for MCNY to be open seven days a week, starting on July 1,” said Wilchfort, who serves as Executive Vice Chair of the Cultural Institutions Group, a coalition of 34 non-profit organizations such as the city’s museums, gardens, and arts centers. “As such, the Museum’s exhibitions exploring history, popular culture, and art will be open to the public on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the first time since the pandemic. City support also allows the Museum to operate as a cooling center, open at no charge to anyone who seeks relief from warm weather.”

The city’s three public library systems — New York, Queens, and Brooklyn — issued a joint statement thanking the administration, the city council and New York residents, who overwhelmingly supported the campaign to restore library budgets. More than 174,000 people sent letters to City Hall in support of the “No Cuts to Libraries!” campaign since the cuts were announced in November [2023].

“This funding will allow us to resume seven-day service, a priority for many New Yorkers,” the libraries said in a statement shared with CNN. “We expect that service to begin in the coming weeks, bringing our branches back to the same hours of operation prior to the November 2023 cuts. The funding also allows us to continue universal six-day service, which New Yorkers have enjoyed for nearly a decade.”

-via CNN, June 28, 2024

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Toronto libraries could all soon be open year-round, Mayor Olivia Chow announced Sunday.

Speaking at a Toronto library, Chow announced a new plan on Sunday that will see seven-day-a-week service provided at all branches by July 2026. Currently, some branches in the city are closed on Sundays and Mondays. Last year's city budget allocated $10 million to expand hours at some of those branches, but not all.

"In my last budget we started this work, and in my next budget we will finish it," Chow told a small crowd at Toronto's Wychwood library branch, which is currently closed on Sundays.

"It shouldn't be closed today," Chow said. "It's Sunday. A lot of families are looking for things to do with their kids." [...]

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland, @vague-humanoid

[laurapetrie]

On the contrary, I’m the most romantic person I’ve ever met in my life.

- F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Majesty" (1929)

[foldingfittedsheets]

I am full of book woes.

I picked up The Midnight Lie because somehow it ended up in my library tag to check out. It was great, I liked the style a lot and I could clearly see it trending toward a sapphic train wreck ending, but it was a train wreck that made sense and was satisfying.

After the cliffhanger ending it was clear there’s another book to potentially straighten it all out. Turns out my library doesn’t have that one though. So I get to wait until I have spending money in a few weeks and buy it if I want to know what happens.

Then I got my hold for Clockwork Boys and devoured it but it’s four weeks out for the follow up to that one. Worried I’ll lose my momentum and forget details in the interim.

Book club is embarking on The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry next which I’m excited to reread but frustrated that I can’t finish either of the duologies I just read.

[hellenhighwater]

Hmm....how hard can large scale mosaic possibly be? I feel like my plans for the room I'm working on could use something really shiny and impactful and maybe I want to make a fold-down cutting table and maybe I want to do it out of mosaic, even though that will be ungodly heavy.

It's a fun idea. I'm not sure if it's a good idea.

I haven't done mosaic since a one-off high school art class but I feel like the component skills are ones I already have, sooooo....

I have been keeping to a blue and gold celestial theme for both my guest room and my art workspaces, because if and when I move those spaces are likely to be combined. Cutting table, even though it would be for a different room, falls in the same vein, so I'm thinking something with a nice dark night sky and maybe some branches or leaves...

[rumade]

If you live in the UK, you have gotta start using these services as much as you can! They will use low user numbers as further justification for cutting services. Make use of your leisure centres, libraries, and any arts services. Show them some love!

[queerliblib]

Hey QLL!

I was wondering if you could help me!

I am notoriously terrible at googling.

I am looking for cozy queer fantasy SPECIFICALLY with a nonbinary AGENDER main character. Preferably with the mc using they/them or otherwise pronouns that are not she or he.

When I try to Google, every list seems to erase "nonbinary" and "agender" :( and every book I find in these lists, is about every other identity EXCEPT agender, nonbinary, or gender identities that do not align with the binary male or female. It makes me really sad because I just want to read books with main characters who are like me, and I don't have the skills to write books....

the first cozy fantasies with non-binary MC’s who use either they/them or neopronouns that comes to mind are:

Awakenings by Claudie Arseneault

The Baker & The Bard by Fern Haught

there’s also Transmogrify! which is a fantasy anthology with many non-binary authors & characters.

[maureen-corpse]

God budgeting really puts the Little Treat dependency in perspective doesn’t it

[kingsbridgelibraryteens]

Adults, kids, and teens! Stop by our library today to sign a letter of support, and get a free gift from NYPL while supplies last.

Remember that if you can't come to the library in person, you can still sign a support letter online and/or create a virtual sticky note to support the library!

#NoCutsToLibraries

#InvestInLibraries

[motziedapul]

Libraries and SO. MUCH. FREE STUFF!!!

I wanna emphasize to people who don't know this, but the library usually has a TON of free stuff. Not just books. But also books.

Here's a list of stuff you can get from Toronto Public Library specifically, but many of which are offered at public libraries in general.

Free books and ebooks and comics and audio books

Free Internet

Free Movies

Free Music

Free Access to Learning Databases

Free Equipment for audiovisual work (mics, recording booths, etc)

Free 3D Printers and maker spaces for fabrication

Free spaces to study and work

Free Access to Museums and Attractions

Free events in the city

Free classes and workshops

Free phone calls where someone will read you a story

Free Wifi hotspot you can borrow

If you're having a rough time with money, the library has you covered for most things that aren't groceries. It keeps people safe, educated, engaged, AND you can make amazing stuff with the resources they give you.

They can also educate you on financial literacy and other topics with their free workshops. I went to a tax workshop at the local library and learned a ton about how to do my taxes correctly.

You NEED to be aware of all the things your library can give you because this is where your taxes go and it can serve you in more ways than you can imagine.

BUT FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT HAVE WELL-FUNDED PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEMS I am also Filipino so I know the ways of the 🏴‍☠️

(the above is a reddit thread, please read through it thoroughly)

Golden Rules:

Be safe, read the instructions on how to keep your browsing safe

Do not 🏴‍☠️ what you can get from the library for free

Do not 🏴‍☠️ indie creators, please support them

Otherwise 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

[gendzl]

not once in the 8 years I've lived here has this library system declined to buy a book I've asked for. I am soooo special and have such excellent taste, they cannot deny me anything <3

[twst-mer]

マレレオ union birthday

[iamthecomet]

Friendly reminder to support your local library because there are plenty of people who think libraries are stupid and unimportant and MAN are they loud sometimes.

[bookrat]

Due to an unprecedented new organizational technique(making a folder labeled 'old2022' instead of 'old7'), this year I can easily look back on everything I made and put my favorites into list format according to how much serotonin they deliver when I look at them. This is truly the most objective and important of categorical characteristics.

5. Little punk compsognathid

4. Sinosauropteryx bust

3. Terrestrisuchus

2. Nothronychus

Little Etsy raptor