#support your local library

[laughroditee]

"She's so beautiful! I bet she goes to the library."

- my 7 year old daughter

[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.

[happycrankycow]

Reblogging for visibility 📚

To everyone in red states where book bans are likely to take place soon, here’s some lists for you <3

As a history student going into library science, people way under hype how crazy book banning is

Multiple lists of books already banned in schools/libraries or ones that likely will be:

Banned Books Week 2024: 100 of the Most Challenged Books

Banned Books: Top 100

Banned Book List

Colorado Banned Book List

The Complete List of Banned & Challenged Books by State

Banned Books from the University of Pennsylvia Online Books Page

Top 10 Most Challenged Books in 2023

PEN America Index Of School Book Bans – 2023-2024

Challenged and Banned Books

Places to order books other than Amazon:

Internet Archive (free)

Libby (free with library card)

Thrift Books

Book Outlet

BookBub

Abe Books

Half Price Books

Barnes & Noble

Better World Books

PangoBooks

Book Finder

Goodwillbooks

Alibris

Places to support that fight against book banning:

American Library Association

Unite Against Banned Books

National Coalition Against Censorship

PEN America

There’s a reason politicians fight so hard to limit knowledge and it should scare you.

Some recs below based on reviews I’ve seen

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sing by Maya Angelou

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson

Melissa by Alex Gino

Looking for Alaska by John Green

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

All Boys Aren't Blue by George Matthew Johnson

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Flamer by Mike Curato

Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan

Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison

This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds

Sex is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg

Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Drama by Raina Telgemeier

This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Beloved by Toni Morrison

[booksinmythorax]

Some of my library's most successful adult programs so far basically boil down to "come do things you could be doing at home, but in a Place with Other People".

Right now it's silent reading parties and writing clubs - what other kinds of stuff fits into this category?

[fangtastic-vampyra]

buying books & reading books..two different hobbies.

[cucubert]

Find these quality shitpost designs and more at Library Renegade

[yabadabadoo-flinstone-fan69]

Always support your local library

Did you know you can check out video games from the library? Did you know that you can check out dvds of shows that were released on streaming? Did you know that if the a library doesn’t have what you ask for, they’ll arrange to have it checked out from another library and brought to you at your library?? Did you know you can get all of this for free???

GET A LIBRARY CARD!!! FEAST ON FREE JOY

[ellierenae]

ay kid, you like readin? then keep your eye on the birdie cause all you need for this card trick is a US address, a phone number, the date your folks popped you out, and a first and last name

you put those figures in this form right here

then theyre gonna give you a little somethin under the table, pro bono

take that card number and pin and bring it over to this site right over here

badabing badaBOOM you now got access to every ebook, audiobook, and magazine under the sun PLUS those ebooks can go straight to kindle. yeah. a real soft on your eyes type

now scram

and dont say i never did nothin for ya

[onebluebookworm]

We are all aware that libraries across the United States are under attack. Thanks to groups like Moms for Liberty and other outspoken “concerned citizens,” there has been actual legislative action at multiple levels of government to limit what libraries can do and provide to their communities. Even in the places where there hasn’t been that kind of action, those same concerned citizens have mounted acts of intimidation to instill fear and block access...In light of this, I’ve heard many iterations of the same question: how can we help? What do libraries and library staff need right now?

[mbrainspazart]

Thought I could handle a spooky little horror novel—did not expect 'em to come at me with the existential horrors of being a queer child of american evangelicals 😰

[liberaljane]

Support Your Local Library!

Here’s 3 easy ways to get started: 1.) Get a library card (it’s free and usually just requires proof of residency!) 2.) Attend your local library’s events and programming. 3.) Advocate for increased support and funding. 

Digital illustration of a redhead fem with cat eye glasses wearing a green sparkly dress. She's leaning on a bookcart next to a tuxedo cat holding a book that reads, 'support your local library.' Behind her are books with titles that are commonly banned in schools.

[tailsfromthecrypt]

Support your local library. support a library that isn't local. support your niblings local library. support your grandparents local library. support libraries

they've got fucking everything. Books? Of course. Computer/internet access? Yes. Resources for LGBTQIA+? Most do. Activities to keep young children busy? Almost always. A place for teens to volunteer that'll help with college apps? Duh.

Most libraries have activities and events for more than just kids and teens. One library near me just did a tattoo fundraiser to raise money for the library, they also have a craft goods exchange coming up. Another library I know of gets wedding dress donations so brides can come pick out a dress for their special day at no cost! They can keep it or redonate it, alter it or get rid of it, completely up to them once they walk out with it

In conclusion, support libraries.

[nascenterror]

So if you're not using your library's online resources you should definitely start.

I recently activated my Kanopy account with my library card and woah are there some gems on here. Today I watched Ikiru a pretty good(lol) Japanese film from 1952 and it was a joy to watch snowed in with my daily green tea.

[fanzines]

Beautiful Support Your Local Library illustration and print by artist @liberaljane (buy it on her site). Here are three ways to get started, which she recommends: 1) Get a library card (it’s free and usually just requires proof of residency!) 2) Attend your local library’s events and programming. 3) Advocate for increased support and funding. Someone on the original tweet also recommended donating books and materials, which you no longer use - always worth asking your local librarians what sort of things they need for the library. My suggestion: 4) Start a zine club at your local library, where you can share and / or read zines with others, or even make zines with others. Zine clubs are an awesome way to meet people, make friends and explore more zines. And, if you're lucky, your library may have a zine library or zine collection. If not, speak to your local librarians about setting one up! ✨

[ijustkindalikebooks]

“I lived in books more than I lived anywhere else.” ― Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

[booksinmythorax]

Here's some reminders!

-Public library cards in the United States of America are free, $0, the overwhelming majority of the time, as long as you can prove your identity and your address

-If you cannot prove your address (you're experiencing homelessness or you just moved, etc), there may be a way around that to get you a free library card anyway, at least temporarily, possibly for a year or more

-If you lose your library card, many many many library systems will replace it for free and many others will do so for $1 or $2

-Many library systems are going fee or fine free as long as you return the book in good condition

-Public library systems in the US are not rolling in cash, generally speaking

-Library systems can only go fee or fine free if they are well-funded by other sources, so if your local library system charges late fees or card replacement fees and you don't like that, don't yell at the librarians - bother your elected officials instead and tell them you want them to give more funding to your local library