A Win for the Whitesburg Library!

The Whitesburg Public Library in West Georgia was threatened with a 32 percent cut to the library budget by the City. If advocates hadn't acted quickly, this loss of funding would have resulted in the closure of the library since it violates the agreement with the County and results in an additional loss of $18,000 in County funds, as well as State funding! 

We were proud to support the team of advocates on the ground with the digital and financial tools that helped them keep the library open.

Your donations make campaign support like this possible!

The proposed City of Whitesburg 2022 budget included a 32 percent reduction in funding for the Whitesburg Public Library. If this budget was passed by the Mayor and City Council it would have resulted in the closure of the library as County and State funding would have also been lost. This proposed reduction in library funding was in contrast to a significant projected increase in revenues and large increases in funding for general administration and police. 

The citizens of Whitesburg, as well as many who live in the surrounding community, depend on the library's services, including internet access, educational programs, information and research help, books, and movies. Many depend on its computers for applying for jobs, completing schoolwork, applying for services and use of the library's reliable Wifi service. This dramatic reduction in the library’s funding would have resulted in the loss of one of the most important institutions serving local residents as well as the loss of the primary shared civic and cultural space in the community.

To support the local fight against these cuts, EveryLibrary met with Whitesburg citizen advocates on the ground who were ready to take action. The advocacy group included the Friends of the library and a number of members of the community. These advocates effectively utilized a petition built through EveryLibrary's action platform to go door-to-door collecting signatures of support. As we do in many campaigns, EveryLibrary donated nearly a thousand dollars, which put the petition in front of the residents of Whitesburg through digital ads. Through these efforts, over 300 community members signed the petition in this small town with a population of just over 500. We were able to demonstrate widespread support for the library to city council, and we rallied the public to attend a city council meeting and further push for adequate funding for the library.

Through these efforts, the City Council backtracked on their cuts and provided enough funding to keep the library open in their final budget!

The only reason that EveryLibrary can provide support for advocacy campaigns through consulting, digital tools, and direct funding is because of the donations of so many of our supporters. Your one-time and monthly donations provide the resources we need to win. Right now, we are working with John's Crazy Socks and any new monthly donor of $5 or more will receive a pair of these great "I Love My Library Socks."