Annual Report 2022: Celebrating 10 Years as our Nation's Political Action Committee for Libraries

EveryLibrary has worked to amplify the agendas of local library stakeholders for 10 years. Whether it is on the ballot, at the statehouse, or fighting for the First Amendment, our aim is to create a future where Americans can access a library in every community and school.

Fighting for the First Amendment

In 2022, EveryLibrary was deeply engaged in the fight to protect the First Amendment in libraries. We are at the forefront of national organizations fighting politicized and performative book bans and censorship efforts in local libraries and schools. Through the generous support of the Long Ridge Action Fund, we have provided digital organizing tools and campaign advice to dozens of local library Alliances. 

In 2023, we are launching Fight for the First, a full-scale digital organizing and advocacy site that provides the training, networking, and organizing infrastructure needed for communities to turn the tide against local book bans. Our First Amendment work is rooted in partnerships and coalitions with national allies and co-sponsors such as PEN America, Red Wine and Blue, PFLAG, We Need Diverse Books, BookRiot, and the National Student Rights Coalition. 

Click here to download the annual report.

Libraries on the Ballot

This year we celebrated our 130th library campaign. We were founded on the vision that “Any library ballot measure anywhere should matter to every library advocate everywhere”. We have always focused on funding for public libraries and school library programs. Whether it is securing new taxes that create library jobs or stabilizing revenue for collections, services, or facilities, our work ensures that all Americans have access to excellent library services. 

Over the last 10 years, we have won 85% of our campaigns and have secured nearly $2.4 billion in stable funding for operations, collections, and building projects. All of our work is pro-bono for libraries and local ballot committees. For every dollar of pro-bono work, we return $1,600 to local libraries in funding. Our donors ensure that even the smallest library can benefit from our experience and expertise. 

The Future of School Libraries

Our focus on school libraries extends beyond budgets and collections to support the rights and dignity of every student to read and learn. For the last five years, Follett Learning Solutions has been our lead donor on Save School Librarians, the only national advocacy platform dedicated solely to school library campaigns. In 2022, our digital and fieldwork focused on fighting anti-access legislation that would limit school libraries, improving budgets to hire more school librarians, supporting state library association legislative agendas, and countering book bans and censorship in school districts from coast to coast. 

We helped our partners at the New Jersey Association of School Librarians and the Delaware Library Association advance new information literacy and media literacy curriculum bills. Our ongoing support in Washington, D.C. schools ensured another round of funding for a librarian in every school. We were proud to fight alongside champions like Martha Hickson, Gavin Downing, and Amanda Jones this year. They represent hundreds of other school librarians whose voices would be silenced if censorship and book bans prevail.

Click here to download the annual report.

Reaching American about Libraries

EveryLibrary is the only national library organization that spends money every day on social media ads. We published and syndicated over 150 stories on our Medium magazine to inform, engage, and activate people about libraries and librarians. Our donors know that the best way to break through the noise and clutter on social media is to spend a small amount of smart money reaching and activating Americans who care. 

We begin 2023 with over 400k people following us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Our success in reaching and activating the public on social media means that we can support national, statewide, and local advocacy campaigns down to a single school district or Zip Code. 

Our Donors Make the Difference

Over half of our funding comes from individual donors who want to see libraries thrive. The average personal donation was $48. When thousands of Americans stand up for what they believe, we can accomplish important work together. We are especially grateful to our corporate and philanthropic partners who help empower our work every day for each and every library. 

• EBSCO provided capacity-building support for our campaigns to oppose bad legislation in dozens of states.
• Follett Learning Solutions provided core support for our SaveSchoolLibrarians.org site and on-the-ground actions.
• Long Ridge Action Fund provided key resources to support local library alliances.
• Bibliotheca provided key support to our training programs
• Beanstack / Zoobean's Raise-to-Read challenge campaign helped us find new donors and readers around the country.
• Tech Logic, SirsiDynix, and TLC each provided sustaining support to our overall mission.

We want to make a special thanks to our partners at Koios for their ongoing technical expertise powering our search and discovery.

Click here to download the annual report.

In the News

As the frequency and intensity of book bans and legislative attacks grew during 2022, national news outlets and library sector publications increasingly turned to EveryLibrary for real-world insights that go deeper than reports, talking points, and toolkits. We were proud to be featured in the Washington Post, the New York Times, Book Riot, Readers Digest, Publishers Weekly, and Library Journal / School Library Journal among many others. 

Because Each and Every Library Matters

EveryLibrary is the only national political action committee for libraries. We raise money from donors in order to give libraries the consulting and digital advocacy tools they need to advocate for themselves. Join thousands of donors like yourself who want to see libraries win.

Donate today at EveryLibrary.org/donate.