Freedom and freebies

Welcome to the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge! This month my theme is Library Love, focusing on my love of libraries generally, as well as for the Sacramento Public Library (my local library) more specifically. I hope you find these posts informative as well as fun, and that they encourage you to visit your local library to see what’s new.

“Free” is a word that gets used a lot at the library. It’s free to sign up for a library card, free to check out books and other materials (as long as you bring them back on time!), and free to enjoy the library’s physical space as well as its live or virtual programs.

“Freedom” is another popular word at the library, as in the freedom to read whatever you like, freedom from censorship, freedom to continue your education throughout your life with access to library materials and services.

What other types of freedom do you get at a library?

What about the freedom from the capitalist requirement to purchase something in order to occupy space (as found in most restaurants, which require you to buy something in order to sit and stay a while or even use their restrooms)?

Or the freedom to sit in a public space, doing nothing at all, without being considered loitering?

Libraries also provide freedom from judgment: libraries are for everyone, no matter what your personal identity, political or religious beliefs, or any other -isms that folks outside of the library’s doors might use to measure a person’s worth.

What other kinds of freedom do you find yourself embracing at the library?

Fast Facts

In the United States, the freedom to read is guaranteed by the Constitution. American libraries support this view, espoused by the ALA’s Freedom to Read Statement. It is peculiar to me every time I see librarians having to fight with politicians over this essential right, and I’m thankful that I live in a state that supports its libraries and library staff with generous funding to help serve our communities.

Thanks for stopping by, and I look forward to sharing more library trivia, tips and tricks for getting the most out of your local library — using all their awesome and often unpublicized free resources — throughout the month of April. See you tomorrow for a fresh new post!