EveryLibrary at 10 Years

“When we started EveryLibrary, we hoped that the idea of a political action committee for libraries would be welcome and useful. It has been the thrill of my professional life to work with so many Americans and organizations who have invested their time and made generous donations on behalf of libraries," says EveryLibrary's Co-Founder and Executive Director, John Chrastka.

When Everylibrary launched in 2012, there were no organizations helping libraries win local ballot measure elections where billions of dollars of library funding is at stake. “EveryLibrary provided us with training that helped us develop messages about our new building proposal and understand how to most effectively prioritize our efforts to get those messages out into our community," reports Adrienne Furness, Director, Henrietta (NY) Public Library.

Over the last ten years, EveryLibrary has offered free campaign consulting, supporting hundreds of library campaigns across the country through the following initiatives:

• Have fought against bad anti-library legislation that seeks to criminalize librarianship.
• Mobilized Americans through petitions and social media to push back on organized attempts to censor books and stand up for their first amendment rights.
• Fought against school library closures across the country, and helped protect school librarians' positions which are key to building early literacy skills that correlate with long-term academic and economic success for students.
• Rapid-response fundraising for many libraries, including our recent work to help the Ridgeland MS Library keep it's doors open when the Mayor withheld funds because he didn't want "homosexual books" on the shelves.

“The guidance EveryLibrary provided to staff and trustees was invaluable to us. All the more so because it was provided pro-bono. Their personal engagement helped allay fears and reassure us along the way, too,” says Jeannie Dilger, Executive Director of the Palatine (IL) Public Library District.

As we continue to see attacks on the freedom to read across the country, EveryLibrary will continue to work with dozens of local activists and organizations to give them the resources they need to fight back for the next ten years. The support continues to be possible with donations around the world.

"I am grateful for the faith and encouragement that comes with the generous support we receive from so many Americans. We put those donations to work helping to safeguard libraries and support librarians in schools and public libraries across the country." Chrastka adds.

If you believe that libraries are an institution that should be embedded in each and every community in America, please consider donating today to help EveryLibrary continue its important work: https://www.everylibrary.org/donate10gen