I Believe in Libraries.

Next week is National Banned Books Week and this is a good time to reflect on why I founded EveryLibrary and why I believe that libraries and your right to read are worth fighting for.

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I believe that libraries are where America goes to read about itself. America thrives not only because authors write and publishers print but also because libraries guarantee that the marketplace of ideas is open to all. As we approach the 250th anniversary of the country, will we approach it with libraries that reflect the full American story, or will we allow censorship and neglect to decide whose history is remembered and whose voices are silenced?

Across the country, we have witnessed school boards, library boards, legislatures, governors, and political appointees decide what Americans can and cannot read. From the quiet removal of books from a library catalog to overt political campaigns against librarians, these efforts strike at the very heart of the First Amendment. When censorship wins, it is not only individual titles that disappear from shelves; it is entire communities of readers, learners, and citizens who lose their voice.

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This is where EveryLibrary comes in. As the nation’s first and only political action committee for libraries, EveryLibrary was founded to defend public access to literature by bringing political power to the side of libraries. We fight for library funding at the ballot box, oppose laws that restrict access to books, and mobilize coalitions of readers and citizens who understand that the freedom to read is inseparable from the health of our democracy. We have been on the ground with over 150 anti-censorship campaigns in the last two years, helping to put books back on the shelves and defend the rights of every reader. 

But the struggle ahead is bigger than defending any one library. Next year, when America marks its 250th anniversary, it should be a moment to reflect on the history we have inherited, not a fight over whose history should be preserved and whose voices we should allow to be heard. Institutions like the Library of Congress, the National Archives, the Smithsonian, and IMLS, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, are essential to this national commemoration. They are the custodians of the American story, in all its diversity and complexity.

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Yet these institutions are facing political pressures and budgetary threats. If censorship and defunding continue, the America we celebrate in July 2026 will be narrowed, distorted, or diminished.

Protecting our culture of reading means more than defending titles under attack. It means ensuring that public libraries are funded so they can purchase new works, support diverse collections, and create spaces where reading is celebrated across generations. It means standing with school librarians who know that a well-stocked library is central to student success. It also means reminding policymakers that libraries are not partisan pawns but are public institutions serving the common good.

The mission before us is clear: Whether it is for an annual Banned Books Week or in the lead up to  America's 250th, our work at EveryLibrary is to ensure that the shelves remain full, the doors stay open, and the freedom to read is protected for all. We would like to see Americans have the choices they deserve and the opportunity to read about themselves without fear.

Please join us in this work as a donor, an activist, and a reader today.