What We Do
EveryLibrary is the first and only national organization dedicated to building voter support for libraries. We are chartered “to promote public, school, and college libraries, including by advocating in support of public funding for libraries and building public awareness of public funding initiatives”. Our primary work is to support local public libraries when they have a referendum or measure on the ballot, to support school librarians in crisis through our SaveSchoolLibrarians.org initiative, and to build a national network of Americans who will take action to create a better future for library funding at all levels of government. In each campaign, EveryLibrary engages with the local library community to determine our best type of involvement.
Coalition Work
EveryLibrary is a non-partisan, pro-library organization with an alignment toward sustaining libraries as they evolve and grow in the 21st century. EveryLibrary is a coalition partner with other organizations, associations, and non-profits that seek to support libraries through public awareness and advocacy. We are dedicated to working in coalition with other national and state-level library, museum, and archives stakeholder organizations. We are ready to stand alongside and in support of other national organizations and bring our network of Americans to these coalitions.
How You Can Help
EveryLibrary puts donor funding to work in three ways: directly on local library campaigns - for both public libraries and school libraries; on building our national reach as an advocacy organization for libraries; and on staff and projects that run the organization. As the only national 501(c)4 for libraries, we are able to “bundle” small donations from around the country and send it to local Vote Yes committees where it’s needed. All our consulting services for libraries - and for Vote Yes committees - are offered pro-bono and without any chargebacks, fees, or other back-end financial arrangements. All of our work with school librarians in crisis is likewise pro-bono. When we need to travel to a community, local libraries - sometimes through the local Friends or Foundations - reimburse actual travel expenses so our pro-bono consulting work goes farther. Our donor support allows us to waive travel costs for library communities that can’t afford it.
What are Donations Used For?
Donations are used for voter awareness campaigns and helping local library ballot committees win at election time. We dedicate a portion of each contribution to actively reach the American public and local stakeholders through paid social media advertising. EveryLibrary uses a portion of contributions to cover overhead, staffing, and development or acquisition of voter awareness tools and campaign materials. Donations by individuals, corporations, and unions to EveryLibrary are not generally tax-deductible but may be under certain circumstances. Please consult your tax advisor for more information.
Will My Donation be Made Public?
As a 501(c)4 organization, EveryLibrary is not required to disclose the names of donors or amounts of contributions that further its mission and purpose of advocating for library ballot initiatives. However, EveryLibrary enables donors to self-disclose their intent or amount of support when contributing or pledging. If you would like to make your support for libraries known by name, please check the appropriate box on EveryLibrary’s online donation form. All records that are required to be maintained for IRS reporting are done so in full compliance with the law and regulation.