The Republican administration wants to defund our museums and libraries. Oppressive regimes like Nazi Germany, the USSR, and even the Babylonians and the Romans during their conquests understood that controlling access to information was key to controlling the population. One of their first acts was to ban and burn books, shut down independent libraries, and replace museum exhibits with propaganda. Free public libraries and museums are the opposite of that—they ensure that knowledge, culture, and truth remain accessible to everyone, not just the powerful. Defunding them opens the door to censorship, revisionist history, and the silencing of marginalized voices. And if you don't care about that, why are you here? You're a book nerd, this directly affects you!

Here's the list, all are quick and easy!

1. Sign all of the petitions on the American Library Association's website
   https://action.everylibrary.org/petitions

2. Judges blocked Trump's defunding of the IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services) for this year, but what about 2026? Ask Congress to fund the IMLS in 2026:
   https://www.ala.org/advocacy/fund-libraries

3. Find your attorney general and ask them to join the IMLS lawsuit.
   https://www.naag.org/find-my-ag/
   Here's a quick template:
   Subject: Request to Join Lawsuit Defending the Independence of IMLS

   Dear Attorney General [Last Name],

   I am writing as a concerned resident of [Your City], [Your State] to urge your office to join the federal lawsuit defending the independence and apolitical mission of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

   The recent attempts to politicize IMLS funding threaten not only libraries and museums nationwide, but also our First Amendment rights and the free flow of information in our communities. Our public libraries serve as safe havens for learning, exploration, and equal access. Undermining their funding for political reasons puts all of that at risk.

   Several states have already taken action to challenge this dangerous overreach. I call on you to join them in protecting both the integrity of IMLS and the educational and cultural resources that we rely on every day.

   Thank you for your service to our state and for considering this request.

   Sincerely,
   [Your Full Name]
   [Your City], [Your State]

4. Download the 5 Calls app. You input your zip code, pick a cause you care about (in this case public libraries,) and it provides you a link to call your representative and a script to read. It's super easy and calling your reps is proven to be more effective than emailing!
   https://5calls.org/

5. If you haven't already, go get a library card. If you don't have access to drive to your local library, call them! Librarians are basically magicians, if there's a will, there's a way! And then use it to log into Libby or Hoopla. Remember lots of libraries have access to audio apps too! Make sure to USE the library card. Right now summer reading programs are starting, and my library even has one for adults!!! Here's a hierarchy of how and why I decide to get my books:

   1. Is the author independent? Buy the book. Like it? Request the library carry it.

   2. Have I never read the author? Library

   3. Is it a book I'll probably only read once? Library

   4. Audiobook? I always check the library app FIRST

   5. Think more people should read it? LIBRARY!

   6. Is it for my kids? Library

      
      Thanks for supporting reading. Sure, some of us have home libraries and adult money—but the mark of an advanced society is that it protects access for those who don’t. If that’s not you, cool. Be civilized anyway and stand up for their rights.