r/justgalsbeingchicks • u/ExactlySorta • 7h ago
Restricted to Gals and Pals Librarian reminds us that libraries make us a harder target for authoritarianism. Equal access to info, ideas, and space that doesn’t require a purchase to belong. Also: using the library means money stays in your community instead of streaming out to Amazon
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u/sah_mei 7h ago
Librarian here - please get a library card if you don't have one already. Even if you never use it, your membership is vital to our funding.
Resource usage helps further justify future purchasing budget requests, but just having a card also helps us keep the lights on and adequately fund our facilities and staffing needs.
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u/Vegetable-Eagle-3144 5h ago
My library card lets me get behind pesky paywalls like the one at NYTimes and I get to use the 3d printer
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u/Top-Permit6835 5h ago
They gave my son a free one and I promptly got a paid one I never really use
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u/Freakjob_003 59m ago
Libby got me through the pandemic, and it's probably the best free service I've found outside of piracy.
Plenty of libraries also let you rent out video games and movies. And even cooler, some have "Libraries of Things," where you can rent out a power drill or sewing machine or lawnmower or other useful tool you may only need once in a while, without having to buy one!
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u/ThrowingShaed 45m ago
idk if it was covid, or maybe dad passing, but we let ours expire, we should take care of that.
im also a little extra worried for libraries now. i know were a bit book hostile but this might be too on the nose
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u/Aranxi_89 35m ago
A library card is one of the rites of passage for children here in Canada. We get taken to our local library so we can use all of the facilities there, and our own library card.
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u/_Smedette_ 7h ago edited 5h ago
That is Molly Lee. She is an awesome soap maker in Portland, Oregon and all-around good person. She uses her funds and platform for good.
Edit: Molly’s website.
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u/Ordinary_Fix3199 7h ago
No wonder I immediately loved her look and her vibe! And her message, of course. I’ve been using my local library more this last year. I hadn’t realized how much less time I had been spending on books vs online the last couple of years until I made an effort to focus on books again. I love going to the library ❤️
I used to LOVE going to the big library in downtown Portland when I was growing up in the 80’s. It was always a treat
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u/babyyvolcano 6h ago
I recognized Molly immediately! She’s such a bright light of positivity and empathy.
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u/seaboi77 6h ago
Link directly to her site first, please. She has links to the rest from there and we don't auto-support big corpos by driving up traffic. :)
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u/geekyheart225 4h ago
I have purchased soap and stickers from her! I love her soap! And I am a proud library card holder. Libby and I have been best friends, though I have bought a few books I wanted to keep from Bookshop.org and had it connected to the local women-owned bookstore near me.
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u/RedBirdOnASnowyDay 7h ago
We didn’t know the resistance would be led by librarians and park rangers but it also makes perfect sense.
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u/catm0m4lyfe 7h ago
My aunt was a lifelong librarian, and I would not want to fight an army of her. 😬
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u/Enlightened_Gardener 6h ago
“Librarians are the secret rulers of the universe. Don’t ever piss one off.”
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u/ThirstyWolfSpider 1h ago
For one thing, if we're fighting librarians we should really be asking "are we the baddies?". (yes)
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u/hootiemcboob29 5h ago
I'm 100% here for it. People like this wonderful librarian queen give me so much kindling to stoke my embers of hope into a blazing fire of rebellion.
The world changes every time women collectively say they aren't gonna tolerate the bullshit anymore! The girls, gays, and theys drag the world forward and the good men make themselves known to the cause too.
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u/tenmillionrats_ 7h ago
My tax dollars… being used… for my benefit? NOOOO!!!!
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u/Child_of_the_Hamster 7h ago
S O C I A L I S M 😱
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u/Grasshop 6h ago
Imagine if libraries were a new concept. You think we could convince republicans to build a place that holds books. For free???
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u/Flashy_Formal_8707 4h ago
Yep it's a crazy concept right?! That's what's genius about it- and it works! 💗
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u/empty_synapse 7h ago
Yaaaas queen, currently listening to Libby through this very library 🙌
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u/DerogatoryPanda 1h ago
Same! And everyone go check out the Libby app. It is literally the most value I have ever gotten from any app
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u/percbish 7h ago
Okay THATS ENOUGH!!
I’m getting a library card asap. I remember it was like having a credit card as a child and I need some joy in my life again 🤭✨
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u/CreativeJudgment3529 7h ago
Does Libby count?
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u/HoaryPuffleg 6h ago
Yes it does. Libby usage goes into our stats. Ebook and eaudiobook licenses are also wildly expensive so be sure to vote for people who support the library and tell your friends and neighbors all about what the library provides.
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u/excellentforcongress 1h ago
https://www.unhingedlibrarian.com/research/who-owns-libby/
libby is owned by private equity, so using libby/kanopy (both owned by overdrive) actually means that, quite literally, local money/tax dollars are flying into the pockets of billionaires.
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u/sasshley_ 7h ago
Love my local library! I’m at a point in life where I have zero time to read a physical book so I give Libby one hell of a workout. It’s nothing for me to get through an audiobook in 3-5 days. Faster if it’s really great.
I also drop in at least once a month to do school work for a few hours, trying to get used to some distraction while I practice.
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u/busytransitgworl 6h ago
Being a member of Antifa libraries since primary school 🫡
And don't forget, some libraries offer more than just books, music CDs, films, and video games. They can offer 3D printers, cameras, button making machines, and muuuuuch more!
Libraries rule!
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u/SirMightySmurf 7h ago
Local government tried to misappropriate earmarked funds from the Library system, and Council of Aging (housing assistance/meals on wheels for elderly) to, you guessed it... fund salary increases for corrupt, shit-bag, police department.
They structured it so that the whole budget would fail if the proposal did not go through to try to force it past the voters as a "do or die" emergency measure.
The proposal went down in flames, and left them scrambling to rewrite the budget and a "clean" budget passed a few months later without the misappropriated funds.
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u/vikio 7h ago
I'm too lazy to go there in person, but I'm so glad I'm apparently still supporting my local library by (checks notes) reading Japanese light novels and listening to fantasy audiobooks from home. Go, me!
Edit: I set up Libby and Hoopla through my local library. I did have to go there in person, but just once.
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u/FOMOerotica 6h ago
Oh hell yeah, this is my library.
Also, Multnomah County is really doing a good job investing in new and updated libraries. And you can see the difference it’s making… they packed on the weekends!
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u/808duckfan 6h ago
I read a comment on reddit that I think about regularly and especially when I'm in a library. It was something like
~Libraries are the last place in the country that is not about extracting money and/or data from you.
Libraries are the anti-thesis of capitalism and consumerism. It's kind of a hot take in that I have to give it more thought.
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u/PrincessStupid 7h ago
The library is my favorite place to be, and it’s a totally underutilized resource.
Even if you’re not a big reader, go check your local library out! I saw mine was lending out hiking gear, board games, and craft supplies! Not to mention many libraries have resources for learning skills directly.
Damn I get fired up about the library.
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u/busytransitgworl 6h ago
Mine offers 3D printers, instant cameras, disco balls, sewing machines, and much more - It's absolutely wild and I love it!!!
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u/ComputerTotal4028 6h ago
This is too cute.
My parents used to go on library dates in college. They dropped out, got married, and had my siblings and I at a young age. My dad was working on getting his air traffic controller certification when my siblings and I were super young. So my parents were poor when we were little, but we had no idea. For entertainment, they took us to the library and on hikes. We loved it. ❤️
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u/Relevant-Job4901 6h ago
Protect her at all cost. I’m almost 70 and she spoke how my mother did about knowledge!
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u/EducationalScheme439 3h ago
I love this video so much! My family uses the library every week! I'm so happy to realize that all of the books we borrow are supporting the library for others. Such a beautiful thing. Get your library card!
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u/onascalefrom20to80 6h ago
It would be a more convincing argument if people actually went to their local libraries instead of talking about it online.
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u/darxide23 5h ago
Every time you use your library card you're starving the billionaires
If I didn't already use the library all the time, this would be enough to convince me.
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u/gypsyjacks453 4h ago
She’s awesome! Side note: last weekend I was participating in a neighborhood cleanup and a man yelled “fuck antifa” at me…so I guess he viewed cleaning up trash as “woke”? People are so bizarre
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u/ziggy-spardust 3h ago
ALSO: if you want to buy books rather than borrow, please support your local independent bookstore instead of Amazon or a big box store. If you don’t have a local independent bookstore, find one and order from them online!
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u/theatrenearyou 6h ago
WEIRD: Bookstore learns its rare titles are being bought to be scanned and destroyed to feed the AI monster
(2 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsak4JNH3iQ
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u/Flippant_Fop 6h ago
I appreciate what is being said. But this only works if the public isn’t an uneducated, unmotivated mass of anal warts.
And I have yet to be convinced of such.
I mean—knowledge and insight only goes so far if you’ve got a shiny red hat.
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u/BigFishPub 6h ago
I hope yall know there there are books that the FBI tracks to see who is reading them.
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u/modbroccoli 6h ago
Oh god. oh Christ. The internet is going to come for this magnificent queen.
I am so scared for her. Bless her courageous and rebellious little soul.
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u/Environmental-Ice319 5h ago
I got my card. Get yours. They're destroying books as we cruze reddit.
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u/i010011010 5h ago
There's a reason librarians were among the most outspoken critics of the PATRIOT Act, even when you had chief Democrats refusing to step up to the plate and protest it. They knew it was bad, they knew where it would lead us, and people marched blindly into it anyway because OMG TERRORISTS.
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u/Von-Rose 4h ago
I would use the library more, but they never have the very obscure and niche books I want to read. :(
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u/awesome-alter-ego 3h ago
Might they order them for you? They can't always, especially if it's very niche and nobody else would read them, but it's always worth asking.
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u/MrDirt 4h ago
Sadly following the closure of Baker & Taylor a lot of libraries are having to even more turn to Amazon to get new releases into their collection.
Not saying that to discourage anyone from joining their local library. You should definitely do that. If anything this should make you want to join more as they need funding to purchase books and Amazon doesn't do volume discounts.
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u/Initial_Hedgehog_631 4h ago
Pre WWII Germany had a robust public library system, and Germany was one of the best educated countries in the world.
China today also has a large, literate population with access to public libraries.
Public libraries are cool for a lot of reasons, protection from autocracy isn't one of them.
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u/Late-Midnight4817 4h ago
Is there a list of other actions like this that are low cost AND fights the elite class like this one? And please reply here to build it ! I want to know more. I already have multiple library cards and will get more !!
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u/awesome-alter-ego 3h ago
Off the top of my head: Forage. Frolic. Hike. Take part in community activities (cleanups, fairs, etc.). Grow some food, maybe on a windowsill. Learn to repair something. Learn to make something. Offer your skills to others. Find moments of joy in simple things. Take breaks. Rest during your breaks.
Potentially less low-cost, but good when you can do it: Discover and support small businesses. Buy things that last, if you can afford to.
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u/thegulo13 ❣️gal pal❣️ 3h ago
Amen to this! As someone who doing my part to advocate for literacy this is important!
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u/siqbal01 3h ago
I have for 3/5 boroughs of my city! If one doesnt have the book I want available I can go to the next :) they double as cooling centers as well!!
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u/TetyyakiWith 3h ago
Libraries seems barely needed since physical books are as cheap as possible right now
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u/defiantgremlin 1h ago
I work in libraries, and our neighbor library recently hosted a screening of the documentary The Librarians for staff. Would really recommend it! Made me insanely mad, but articulates what is currently happening in America with censorship. Trailer here
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u/dobar_dan_ 1h ago
My local library burned the books of authors the country has been at war with. :/
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u/Lt_Loveslearning 49m ago
Everywhere I've lived I get a library card. It's cool to have a collection.
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u/No-Comparison8472 44m ago
She's wrong. Not about going to the library to educate yourself, that's good. But about books as an answer to fascism.
Books just like any other media can be of all political ideology. And ideology is a moral choice based on values, not based on facts.
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u/-Casey-Diaz- 5m ago
And this is why republicans are defunding libraries and burning books. They don't want you to be free and free thinking.
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