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I was an elementary school librarian for 24 years. A few years ago, a school board member challenged a high school library book about transgenderism. While it was non-fiction and clinical, he felt it was inappropriate. He made clear he was acting as a parent, not a board member, and if it came to a vote, he would recuse himself. Per district policy, we formed a committee, consisting of himself, all district librarians including me, the high school principal, the superintendent, the school counselor, and several interested parents and students. We all came to the same conclusion: the book was age-appropriate, and should stay.

Every decision about your local library is made by someone in office.

Funding levels. Staffing. Hours. Collections. Policies about what stays on the shelves and what gets pulled. These are not abstract forces or distant systems. They are choices made by elected officials, often at the local level, often by people whose names most voters barely recognize.

If you care about libraries, your community needs you in office. It’s that simple.

But maybe you don't know what to run for, or how to get on the ballot?

That's why we partnered with NationBuilder to offer you this great tool to search for local open opportunities to run for office.

“This is about right and wrong, good and evil. There is no middle ground.” These were the words of Cobb County School Superintendent Chris Ragsdale in 2023 defending our district’s book bans in front of students, media specialists, and parents who showed up to a school board meeting to speak out against the bans.

Public libraries are under pressure. Across the country, library budgets are being slashed, books are being challenged at record rates, and the very mission of libraries is being questioned. If you love libraries, you have probably signed a petition, attended a meeting, or shared an article online. But there is a more powerful step you can take: Run for office.

Electing people who care deeply about libraries helps shift the broader political conversation. It reminds voters and policymakers alike that libraries are not relics of the past but engines of opportunity and democratic participation. When library supporters step into leadership roles, they bring the values of access, curiosity, and service into the heart of government where those values can shape the future of their communities.

Running for office might feel like a big leap, but if you care about libraries, your community already needs you in the room where decisions are made. Every day, elected officials shape funding, policies, and priorities that determine whether libraries can serve, protect access to information, and thrive.

Running for office sounds complicated, intimidating, and reserved for a certain kind of person with the right connections, background, or moment. Most people assume it requires years of planning, deep political experience, or a massive campaign operation.

April 19, 2026 — A new national campaign, “Read. Lead. Run.”, is launching today to inspire library workers, library supporters, and readers across the United States to step forward and run for public office. The campaign is built around a simple but urgent idea: the people who value knowledge, literacy, and access to information should help shape the policies that govern them.