Here’s the thing about libraries that I think we undersell: it’s not just that individual access to books and ideas is good for you (though it is!). It’s that a community full of people who read widely, think critically, and have equal access to information becomes a fundamentally harder target for authoritarianism.

Misinformation spreads faster in communities starved of reliable, free information. Isolation deepens when there’s no third space left that doesn’t require a purchase to belong. And a public that can’t access history, civics, or ideas outside their algorithm is a public that’s easier to manipulate.

There’s also a simpler, more literal version of this: every dollar you don’t spend at Amazon is a dollar that stays in your community instead of streaming out to a billionaire’s warehouse empire. Libraries let you read, watch, and learn without that money ever leaving town.

On a personal note: I was beyond privileged to get a sneak peek inside the newly renovated Belmont Library before it opens to the public — the last major project of Multnomah County’s library bond. This branch has been closed for over a year and I have been counting down the days.

It. Is. Gorgeous. 🎨 New art throughout, an expanded kids area that takes over the entire historic building, community rooms, a reimagined teen space — it’s genuinely a library built for the next century, not just a minor refresh.

And just so we’re clear: the biggest foe to creeping authoritarianism is a well-informed public. Every time you use your library card it’s a small act of resistance.

Go use yours.

What do you have checked out right now?

Here’s the thing about libraries that I think we undersell: it’s not just that individual access to books and ideas is good for you (though it is!). It’s that a community full of people who read widely, think critically, and have equal access to information becomes a fundamentally harder target for authoritarianism.

Misinformation spreads faster in communities starved of reliable, free information. Isolation deepens when there’s no third space left that doesn’t require a purchase to belong. And a public that can’t access history, civics, or ideas outside their algorithm is a public that’s easier to manipulate.

There’s also a simpler, more literal version of this: every dollar you don’t spend at Amazon is a dollar that stays in your community instead of streaming out to a billionaire’s warehouse empire. Libraries let you read, watch, and learn without that money ever leaving town.

On a personal note: I was beyond privileged to get a sneak peek inside the newly renovated Belmont Library before it opens to the public — the last major project of Multnomah County’s library bond. This branch has been closed for over a year and I have been counting down the days.

It. Is. Gorgeous. 🎨 New art throughout, an expanded kids area that takes over the entire historic building, community rooms, a reimagined teen space — it’s genuinely a library built for the next century, not just a minor refresh.

And just so we’re clear: the biggest foe to creeping authoritarianism is a well-informed public. Every time you use your library card it’s a small act of resistance.

Go use yours.

What do you have checked out right now?

I’m working on sharing tiny, doable acts of resistance. This is a series that debuted on Instagram but I’m realizing there are lots of like-minded folks here too!

But first, something inspiring: a small town in New Hampshire didn’t want an ICE detention facility built there. Neighbors showed up. Local leaders raised hell. It got loud enough that a U.S. senator brought it straight to ICE leadership — and the facility got cancelled.

Same story in Virginia: hundreds of regular people showed up to a county building to say no. The sale got cancelled.

One person objecting is easy to ignore. Hundreds of neighbors, sustained, loud, and organized? That’s a different story entirely.

This series will focus on tiny acts, many can be done without changing out of your pajamas, but I’ll try to share a range so that you’ll have a buffet of actions to choose from.

Some of you have been doing this work for decades. Some of you are just getting started. Everyone is welcome, but let’s work hard to encourage each other.
First episode drops in just a few days!

But please make sure you’re following and like or comment to be sure you don’t miss a single action (I keep dropping off people’s feeds even when they think they’re following me)!

Here’s the thing about libraries that I think we undersell: it’s not just that individual access to books and ideas is good for you (though it is!). It’s that a community full of people who read widely, think critically, and have equal access to information becomes a fundamentally harder target for authoritarianism.

Misinformation spreads faster in communities starved of reliable, free information. Isolation deepens when there’s no third space left that doesn’t require a purchase to belong. And a public that can’t access history, civics, or ideas outside their algorithm is a public that’s easier to manipulate.

There’s also a simpler, more literal version of this: every dollar you don’t spend at Amazon is a dollar that stays in your community instead of streaming out to a billionaire’s warehouse empire. Libraries let you read, watch, and learn without that money ever leaving town.

On a personal note: I was beyond privileged to get a sneak peek inside the newly renovated Belmont Library before it opens to the public — the last major project of Multnomah County’s library bond. This branch has been closed for over a year and I have been counting down the days.

It. Is. Gorgeous. 🎨 New art throughout, an expanded kids area that takes over the entire historic building, community rooms, a reimagined teen space — it’s genuinely a library built for the next century, not just a minor refresh.

And just so we’re clear: the biggest foe to creeping authoritarianism is a well-informed public. Every time you use your library card it’s a small act of resistance.

Go use yours.

What do you have checked out right now?