A Call to All Our Lovely Friends In Publishing & Libraries

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Is your office cluttered with books? Are your shelves at work and at home sagging under old ARCs? Are the piles of paperbacks filling in the corners and taking up floor space? Do you really need all five copies of that popular non-fiction title from three years ago that was more fiction and less popular than you had hoped? Would you like to do something creative, useful, and most of all EASY with them?

We are your answer! Once again the mayor’s proposed city budget slashes libraries and once again Urban Librarians Unite and Save NYC Libraries are ramping up to push right back. You know us, we are the people who have the 24 Hour Read In, the Zombie Librarian March over Brooklyn Bridge, we hugged the 42nd Street Library, you know us. Well we have big big big things afoot this year and your legions of leftovers can be part of it. Those tired old books despairing under dust in the corners can have new life as part of a dynamic library advocacy campaign.

We don’t want to make too many of the details public yet but it will be a citywide campaign that will attract a lot of press. Join us for some literary activism and be part of our book badassery.

Don’t worry, this will be easy. Drop us a note and we will fill you in on more of the details and coordinate pickup. Better yet, bring all your friends, colleagues, and officemates in on the deal for even more umph and an even easier time of it. You can go ahead and mail us your extras at:

Urban Librarians Unite
402 Graham Avenue
PMB 187
Brooklyn, NY 11211

Please note that PMB 187 part of the address, it’s kinda wicked important.

Trust us, you are going to love this one. We don’t want to spoil the surprise just yet but seriously, you’re gonna be glad you were in on it. Your old bookshelf remainders will have more life then they have ever known as part of one of our guerrilla library activism campaigns.

If you have questions or want to coordinate pickup then please drop us a note at:
urbanlibrariansunite@gmail.com

Cross-posted from The Desk Set

Advocacy Day in Albany

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On March 6th we spent the day running around the Legislative Office Building in Albany doing guerilla mobile reference. Granted it was mostly “Where’s my meeting?” and “Where’s the bathroom?” But we did get some real stumpers, like “What is Adrenocorticotropic hormone?” (For your reference, this is Adrenocorticotropic hormone)

Anyhoo, you can still contact your state legislators here to tell them you approve of the current deal to increase State Aid to libraries.

And thanks to everyone who came out, including the fabulous WikiWoman! (Seen here in her signature sequined cape)

Thanks to Sara Kelly Johns and Jen Manley for the photos!

 

Why Our Site Is Black Today

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Our site is black today to protest the Stop Online Privacy Act(SOPA), and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) currently being considered in both houses of congress.

While others have said it better that I can, these bills will essentially cut off free speech on the internet as we know it. They allow for cutting off a persons internet access with no due process, and make no allowances for fair use. We find this repugnant.

Please contact your representatives to let them know you value the free flow of information that the internet currently allows.

For more information - http://sopastrike.com/

 

Occupy Wall Street Library Call in Week

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When the police cleared Zuccotti Park in the dark of the night they destroyed the People’s Library along with all the other infrastructure that was in place. Thousands of books were lost or damaged, laptops were smashed, and archival materials were lost. The intrepid library working group got right back on the stick and immediately set up the library again but now are being blocked from setting up the library in the park again.

We think this is pretty screwed up.

In response, starting Monday we are asking every librarian, library worker, library supporter, any body who has ever been to any of our events or heard us speak or read any of our things to please please please call 311 and make a comment. You have to specifically ask to make a comment to the mayor and they will have to transcribe it down so be patient with the operator.

The script below is just an easy guide, we ask that you affiliate yourself with one of our organizations or with libraries in general, or as a librarian, whatever. We want to show them that it is not just the People’s Library Working Group who are aware of what is going on.

Please call every day this week. Please particularly call on Thanksgiving. It will give you chance to push away from the table for a bit AND will reinforce that destroying a library is about as unAmerican as it gets, which is a good message for one of the most national of holidays.

Thank you for your help, please call every day and get your friends, families, and colleagues to do the same.

Script (just a suggestion):

“I am calling as part of the organization X, a library supporter, and a taxpayer and resident of the city. I want to make a comment to the mayors office, that I am deeply offended and upset by the destruction of the People’s Library at Occupy Wall Street. The destruction of a public library under cover of darkness is an unAmerican act. Please tell the police to allow the reestablishment of the Library at Occupy Wall Street immediately.”