EveryLibrary is celebrating its 10th Anniversary

EveryLibrary, a 501c4 political action committee dedicated to building voter support for libraries, is celebrating its 10th anniversary supporting libraries and librarians across the country. “When I started EveryLibrary, I 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 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 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
• Directly supported librarians in the early days of Covid with no-strings donations through our "halo fund".
• 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.

DONATE: https://www.everylibrary.org/donate10gen

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About EveryLibrary
EveryLibrary is a 501c4 political action committee dedicated to building voter support for libraries. Since 2012, EveryLibrary has provided donor-supported pro-bono advising and consulting to dozens of library campaigns helping to win hundreds of millions of dollars in stable tax funding. Beginning in 2016, EveryLibrary has also provided strategic and tactical support to school library communities on education and tax policy, along with supporting dozens of challenges to school library budgets and school librarian positions in schools and districts across the country.

DONATION/PARTNER INQUIRIES:
John Chrastka, Executive Director, EveryLibrary and the EveryLibrary Institute: john.chrastka@everylibrary.org