Public libraries are an incredible institution. They are crucial third spaces—places that are not work or homes where people can gather indoors without paying. They provide shelter from the heat and cold and provide access to computers. They host all kinds of important services, like classes for people learning English as a second language, homework help for students, and even crafting groups. Many libraries lend out appliances and other kinds of expensive equipment. 

But what do libraries do best of all? They share books! 

Libraries function to democratize access to knowledge, giving all of us free access to information from novels to newspapers to archives to textbooks. 

Authors are book lovers by their very nature. With recent news about threats to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, it’s important to find ways to show your library—and your local politicians—how much you care. But when your livelihood is connected to selling your books, how can you best stand up for a system that is defined by sharing books for free?

Remind Readers That Their Library Checkouts Support Authors

It’s obvious how buying books supports authors. And it’s also obvious why it’s best to shop from your local independent bookstore. But checking books out from your library system is also a big help to authors. 

Libraries, even small ones, don’t simply buy one copy of the books they carry. The number of books they purchase from publishers can depend on expected demand, and librarians can see when any particular title is getting a lot of requests from patrons. Whether your book has come out already or not, if a librarian is seeing a lot of patrons requesting it, they’ll likely order more copies to suit the demand. And then if you have a new book coming out in the future, they can see those past records and might be able to justify using their budget to order more of any new titles from you.

Let readers know that no matter how they’re getting your book, whether buying it from your local shop or requesting it from your local library, it’s helping you in your career. 

Attend Library Events 

Libraries host all kinds of events, like lectures and discussion groups and film screenings. So first of all, you should get to know your library’s calendar purely for your own benefit. 

But as an author, making yourself known to your local librarians is a great way for you to have your own events at the library, like genre discussions, writing advice, author panels, and all the same kinds of things you might have already done at independent bookstores. 

One benefit of being part of a library event is that you can have a wider scope—if you aren’t specifically urging people to buy your new book, you don’t have to wait for it to come out to participate in an author event. Another benefit is that people are specifically coming to hear what you have to say and to connect with your work. When there isn’t an obligation to spend money, many people will have an easier time saying, “yes, I’ll come to that!” 

Best of all, libraries are a great place to grow your community and meet new friends and professional connections. Showing up to library programming will also connect you with other readers and, very likely, other writers. 

Use Your Platform

Libraries, like schools, are on the front line of fighting book bans. The American Library Association first issued their Freedom to Read statement in 1953, which asserts that “the freedom to read and write is almost the only means for making generally available ideas or manners of expression that can initially command only a small audience.” Unfortunately, so many years later, the freedom to read is still under attack. 

If you follow your local library systems on social media, if you receive their newsletters, or if you simply check the bulletin board whenever you stop by, you’ll see specific calls to action that you can take as a citizen. Banned Books Week, for example, is a fantastic annual event that brings booksellers, readers, schools, and libraries together to support threatened authors and marginalized readers. 

If you have an audience, being vocal about your participation by raising money, sharing events you’re excited to attend, and maybe even hosting your own event is a great way to use your position to support the institution that supports the literary arts more than any other. 

Use Your Library Card 

Whether you’re a famous bestselling author, an up-and-comer working on selling your first manuscript, or a writing hopeful still chipping away at your first draft, the best way for all of us to support our libraries is to have a library card. 

Signing up for a library card and making sure you renew it regularly helps ensure that your library continues to receive adequate funding. Whether you go to lots of events and check out books every week or just keep your card updated and leave it in your wallet, having a library card helps provide lifesaving access to resources, shelter, and assistance to at-risk communities. 

Living in a society where our most vulnerable are protected is more important than selling a million books. And it just makes sense that the place where people access those resources is also the place where they go to read. 

Chelsea Ennen is a writer living in Brooklyn with her husband and her dog. When not writing or reading, she is a fiber and textile artist who sews, knits, crochets, weaves, and spins.