Backup — original pdf

Backup

Austin as a Book Safe Harbor: Honoring Where We’ve Come From, Where We’re Going and What We Stand For L I B R A R Y C O M M I S S I O N M E E T I N G – A P R I L 2 7 , 2 0 2 6 Tonight’s Proposal 1 Introducing the Team 2 Introducing the Concept 3 Why This Matters! 4 Why Now? 5 What’s Next? Book sanctuaries (or “safe harbors”) are a proactive way to demonstrateour values as a community!Book Safe Harbors: Offer proactive protections for books and readers Reaffirm existing principles & policies of the library by enshrining them in local ordinances Protect collections, budgets and staff time Counter book bans and censorship Why This Matters! Current legislation threatens access to books Book banning has been normalized Kids aren’t seeing themselves or each other in books Literacy rates are declining Librarians need our support! Intellectual freedoms are worth standing up for Why Now? (Why Not?!) Letʼs ask the City of Austin to join us in celebrating APLʼs century-long tradition of serving readers and protecting the right to read! 1 Work with City of Austin stakeholders to create a Book Safe Harbor that’s rooted in APL’s policies and traditions 2 Aim toward October’s APL Centennial Celebration 3 Publicize and celebrate well beyond October! What’s Next? The 1st Amendment isnʼt the only way to keep books accessible to all who need them. We can continue the good work of APL into the next century by making Austin a Book Safe Harbor.Thoughts & Questions? Thank You!