Hi,
You've probably heard that the Trump administration is trying to defund the Institute of Museum and Library Services in the FY27 budget. Not cut it. Defund it to the level needed to close it entirely.
So this week, I want to walk you through ALA's Show Up website, because it is genuinely one of the best organizing toolkits I've seen, and I say that as someone who has done this work before.
I walked through the whole website on TikTok this week — watch it here if you want the full tour. But keep reading, because I'm breaking down every action step below.
Screenshot of the ALA Show Up website homepage showing petitions, social media toolkit, and organizing resources for library advocacy.
Here's what you can do right now, in order of effort:
Sign a petition (5 minutes). They have multiple petitions live right now, including one for school library resources in every state and one for HR 7661. I did both this morning.
Use their social media toolkit (2 minutes). They've already written the posts. Just copy, paste, and share.
Share your library story (10 minutes). Data moves policy wonks. Stories move everyone else. The ALA has a form to submit your story directly to elected officials AND a storytelling tip sheet to help you write it. Use it.
Write a letter to the editor (20 minutes). They have a full toolkit. Send it to your local paper AND your congressperson.
Schedule a district office meeting. You don't have to go to DC. Your reps have local offices. Show up there.
Invite your rep to tour your library. If they come, that's a photo op and press coverage. If they say no, that's also a story worth telling.
Go to ala.org/ShowUp and take at least one action today.
WHAT I'M READING WHILE I ORGANIZE:
If this week's content has you thinking about what happens when governments control access to information, start here.
1984 by George Orwell. The one that started it all. A totalitarian government rewrites history, surveils its citizens, and controls what people are allowed to know. If you haven't read it, now is the time. If you have, it probably hits different right now.
CW: Totalitarianism, surveillance, torture, psychological manipulation
WHAT'S NEXT: Next week: I'm reviewing Back for Blood, an Indigenous horror anthology from Knopf. I'm already two queer stories in. It's exactly as good as I hoped.
In the meantime:
Follow me on TikTok: @tishdior
Follow me on Instagram: @tishdior
Reply to this email and tell me: What's your library story?
Reading is political. Libraries are resistance.
Tish
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