Erie County Executive Brenton Davis and some members of the County Council have wrongly entered into a lease agreement with Gannon University, a private, religious, tax-exempt institution without input or approval from taxpayers.  The lease grants Gannon the takeover of 3200 square feet as well as access to substantial portions of the only public library located within the City of Erie—the Raymond M. Blasco Memorial Library.   Members and supporters of “Keep our Library Public” (KOLP) span all ages, genders, incomes, backgrounds, and political affiliations.  We live and pay taxes in municipalities throughout Erie County.  We believe our elected officials should carry out their official duties openly, responsibly, and with reasonable input from their constituents—the residents and taxpayers of Erie County.    But over and over again, our elected officials, the Bishop of the Erie Diocese, and the Gannon University administration, have ignored the voices of library users and hardworking taxpayers. The past County Council Chairman denied our right to speak at a December 2023 public meeting, and even had people removed from that meeting.    Sign and share this petition to tell our elected leaders to listen to taxpayers, keep our public library public, and cancel the lease immediately. 

Lenape Regional High School students deserve the best preparation for their future college and career plans. The LRHSD dismissed two tenured school librarians for the upcoming school year, leaving only three librarians for four schools. Since 2021, LRHSD has lost 70% of it's school librarians due to staffing cuts. Further reductions will impair LRHSD's 6,500 students' ability to engage in research and access support for 21st Century information literacy life skills. We need to take action NOW to send the board the message to reinstate these two full-time school librarian positions so that all Lenape Regional High School District students at every school can have the fully staffed school library with certified school librarians they need and deserve. Studies show that students who have access to a full time, certified school librarian and a strong school library program have higher academic achievement and are better prepared for college and careers. Tell the Board of Education and school administrators all Lenape Regional High School students deserve a full time certified school librarian. The board meets next on June 26, (mark your calendars!) but decisions are being finalized now! Time is of the essence! Sign the NJASL/NJLA petition and share with your neighbors, and you will be redirected to an email campaign to send an email to the school board and administrators about the importance of a fully staffed school library for all LRHSD students. 

Some community members are saying they want to close down the library or have it withdraw from the Northern Waters Library System. If that happened, we would lose:  • Access to books across seven northern Wisconsin counties and beyond • The technology needed to operate the library • Access to ebooks, movies, news, and recipes through programs like Libby, Kanopy, Creative Bug, and the New York Times. • Library support services, and many other benefits. Essentially, if the Iron River Library is forced to withdraw from Northern Waters, our library would most likely close, harming not only Iron River residents, but also residents of the surrounding communities served by the Library including Port Wing, Orienta, Oulu, Trip, Delta, Brule, Maple and beyond.  Everyone benefits and our communities flourish when we have free access to books, videos, materials, educational opportunities, internet usage, and the support services the library provides.  Please sign and share this petition to send a clear message to the Iron River Town Board and the Library Board of Trustees

Studies show that students who have access to a full time, certified school librarian and a strong school library program have higher academic achievement and are better prepared for college and careers. Tell the Board of Education Monmouth Regional High School students deserve a full time certified school librarian.

  We want our library to represent us all, no matter our background, with books and events that reflect and enrich our existence, and expand our horizons.    However, we have a Town Council and newly appointed members of the Library Board of Trustees who are attempting to take back funds from the library that should be spent on more library programs and services.    Instead of using the taxes legally raised to support the Library, the Town Council is unethically redirecting those tax dollars to fund pet projects like new pickleball courts.     These decisions, combined with bullying and "get on board" demands from Township officials has led Librarian Debbie Maynard to resign after 10 years of dedicated service.     We are also seeing the Library Trustee Board stacked with new members appointed for partisan political reasons, rather than as responsible stewards and advocates of the library’s mission. Instead, they are there to rubber stamp Town Council demands for library money to fund pet projects.    Our library deserves better, and our community certainly deserves better. We call on the Town Council and the Library Board to make a public commitment to:  1.     Direct that all library tax money be spent on library programs and services!  2.     Hire a new librarian who shares Debbie Maynard’s vision, values, and ethics to serve          the entire community.  Please sign and share this petition to show your support for the Pequannock Township Public Library

We'd like to thank CV’s trusted School Administration for inviting Actor and Author Maulik Pancholy to visit with students at Mountain View Middle School on May 22nd, 2024. By all accounts, the assembly, which centered around the issue of bullying from the perspective of a celebrity who was also teased as a child, was as powerful and inspirational as the school's planners intended. Since the School Board originally interfered with this timely and important school event, we call on the CV community to stay involved and engaged leading into this election cycle, as several school board seats are “up for grabs.” We need our local politicians to take critical issues like bullying seriously, and offer their support to our Educators, instead of getting in the way. In spite of the setback and embarrassment caused by the Board, the reinstatement of Mr. Pancholy's talk sent a powerful message to the community that our schools are, and should be, safe and welcoming places for all students. Please sign and share this petition to express thanks to the CV Administration, Faculty and Staff who invited Mr. Pancholy, and then bravely spoke up when his assembly was briefly canceled; demonstrating their commitment to safeguarding a positive learning environment for all students. --- This petition is sponsored by Neighbors for CV Kids, a local, non-partisan group of parents and neighbors that seeks to support schools, teachers and libraries in their mission to educate the children of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.

The Metropolis Public Library is under attack by a very vocal, small group of individuals who seek to impose their own personal agenda on others in the community. We are deeply concerned about the extreme rhetoric increasingly directed at our public libraries. Such divisive language not only misrepresents the mission of these vital institutions but also sows discord within our community. Libraries are pillars of free expression, education, and community engagement. It is crucial that we address and counteract this harmful rhetoric to preserve the integrity of our libraries and ensure they remain safe, inclusive spaces for all members of our community. Citizens should remain vigilant against any form of government overreach that manipulates public libraries for personal or political agendas. Libraries serve as beacons of free thought and knowledge, and their integrity must be protected from partisan influences that threaten to undermine their role as unbiased resources for the community.

The Mississippi Valley Library District faces a growing number of challenges to its collection and services from a very vocal, small group of individuals who seek to impose their own religious or moral beliefs on others in the community. These newest board members have: - Promoted censorship of materials (library board president removed materials from a library display) - Recently voted to limit public comment in an effort to silence the concerned residents - Past board meeting videos and FOIA's have revealed anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-inclusion rhetoric and discrimination against a library staff member by a new board member Citizens should remain vigilant against any form of government overreach that manipulates public libraries for political agendas. Libraries serve as beacons of free thought and knowledge, and their integrity must be protected from partisan influences that threaten to undermine their role as unbiased resources for the community.

There is a small group in our community that is attacking libraries and librarians because they dislike the themes and ideas in certain books. Most of the books they are targeting are about LGBTQ+ people and people of color. Last year this group went after our school libraries, where they had more than 50 books pulled from shelves. Now they are threatening the funding of the Carroll County Public Library to “send a message" to librarians who support the freedom to read. We recognize these attacks for what they are: censorship. No one is required to read books or use resources they personally object to, but removing them denies access to everyone who values them. Please sign and share this petition to take a stand against censorship and support the full funding of the Carroll County Public Library in the upcoming budget.

The Fluvanna County School Board removed 16 books from library shelves after receiving a complaint from one person. We appreciate that two of these books have been put back on the shelves, and we call on the Board to keep ALL books on the shelf unless and until they have been properly and fully reviewed as required by policy and law. As the nonpartisan Vet Voice Foundation has stated in a March 18th letter to the School Board, in which they urged the Board to take a definitive stand against book bans, “As service members, we pledged our lives to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. This oath is sacrosanct, embodying our dedication to the liberties that have long set our nation apart, including the freedom of speech and the unfettered right to access information. When books are banned, and voices are silenced, it is not just an attack on these rights but a direct affront to the very essence of democracy and the freedoms for which we, as veterans, have served to protect.” Please sign this petition and stand with our veterans in calling on the School Board to protect the freedoms and liberties of ALL Fluvanna County residents and students and keep books on library shelves unless and until a full and transparent review process has been legitimately completed per law and policy.

Please join this campaign because: Having a school library and certified school librarian protects students' right to read and their First Amendment rights. Data from more than 34 statewide studies suggest that students tend to earn better standardized test scores in schools that have strong library programs. NEASC, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation body for public schools, does require that "All students receive library/information services that support their learning from adequate, certified/licensed personnel." In the 2020 Standards for Accreditation, this is a mandate, not a suggestion. Students need to know how to find and evaluate information and recognize media bias to be prepared for college, career, and life. Losing the library program puts Lynnfield and the school at risk of book challenges. Students and teachers will not have access to the large number of online databases only given to school libraries with a certified library media specialist. No school librarian means that the library collection will not get updated and curated, students will not have access to reliable, accurate information for supporting their learning. Having a school library is an equity issue. A lack of a school library and library media specialist will negatively impact student success, teacher collaboration, and the mental health of students and faculty. Students and teachers will be losing a tech integrator and the creator and teacher for the student help desk and the LHS Makerspace. In the study, School libraries and MCAS scores, the results show that there is a direct correlation between certified school library media specialists and MCAS scores.

Like most Americans, we strongly oppose book banning and organized attempts to purge books from library shelves. Recently, a small group has been trying to remove books from our public and school libraries. Read this article, from the Reno News and Review, to learn more: http://tinyurl.com/3z56ne4f We understand that the meaning and value of a work of literature is so much more than a few excerpts taken out of context. As a community, we want to raise strong, healthy kids. It’s important that growing minds learn as much as they can about the world -- the good, the bad, and the ugly -- so they’ll be well-prepared to navigate it and thrive. Books are tools for understanding complexity. Limiting young people's access to books does not protect them from the challenging issues we all encounter in our lives. Many of the books that have been challenged feature LGBTQIA+ characters, characters of color, and diversity-related themes. Everyone, especially young people, should see themselves reflected in library books. Furthermore, it's just as important to see others' experiences reflected in books, which - research shows time and again - helps develop empathy and compassion. We trust our teachers and librarians, who have training and education in literature and youth development, to curate collections for our community. Removing and banning books from public libraries is a slippery slope to government censorship and the erosion of our country's commitment to freedom of expression. Sign here to support the freedom to read in Washoe County.