Invisible Ink - Vol. 5
You've got mail!
We are in the process of sending upwards of 800 postcards far and wide in Idaho to libraries big, small, rural, urban, school, public, special, etc. If your library got a postcard, we would love to see where you posted it! Tag us on Twitter or Instagram. If you know a person or organization that needs a boost, pay it forward if you can... we all need a boost right now! Download your own postcard to send or let us know where to send one.
The Postcard Project is one of our initiatives to boost morale, foster community, and make some of these scary times a little nicer. Who doesn't love snail mail?
Be Brave, or, actually, don't be like Brave
Have you heard about Brave books and the August 5th adventure? Here are some tips, and ways to learn about it and support your colleagues.
TLDR: Be cool when frustrated. Know your policies and lean into your policies. Be so boring you don't go viral.
Truth is, Brave is encouraging people to use the library. So what's wrong with that? Nothing, this is not a bad thing! But it is wise to be prepared for curve balls and here are some resources:
If you are chosen to be a Brave site: Check out this dialogue on reddit, Customer Service in Stressful Situations, Book Riot has a deep dive, this marketing video has great tips. In addition: How to Handle Challenging Patrons, Handling Protest Complaints, First Amendment Auditors.
Link Round-up
Sadly Idaho is not unique, check on your Montana friends too
No-confidence vote targets Little, House GOP members over library bill
Security Ink
All types of activism carry with them some risk. The Digital First Aid Kit has tools for a variety of online problems, including a list of resources in case you’re experiencing harassment, cyberstalking, and other forms of online attack. It also includes tools for activists. Take care of yourself. You’re worth it. We are grateful you’re here, and you are doing enough.
Sympathetic Ink -
The legislature may be out of session, but the legislators are still checking their email. And maybe now that the lobbyists have left the statehouse the legislators will be more likely to listen to their constituents.
So let’s send them some mail! We’ve got this letter template you can copy and paste into your draft email so you can add your own details. In the letter you will be writing about a book you (or a child in your life) have read that has been challenged in Idaho. We’ve got this handy list of books you can reference. You can also substitute any other book you know is being challenged in your community.
Looking for contact information for your Idaho representatives? Enter your address at this tool to get their email and mailing addresses. Each Idahoan is represented by one Senator and two Representatives, and we recommend you write to all of them.
For something even easier than email, what about a text message? You can use the chat bot service Resistbot to send letters to your representatives through texts to 50409 or messages through WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, etc. Use the keyword LEGISLATURE to contact all your state legislators. You can also use the keyword SHARE to make your letter an open letter, which gets shared on their twitter account.
We think personal letters like this might make a difference in the coming session, or will at least let them know that their constituents care deeply about this issue.
Thanks for being here with us. Want to get more involved? Drop us a line, and we'll be in touch. Want to share the word? Forward this email to a friend and encourage them to sign up.
We're a group of library workers and allies joining together to support libraries in Idaho.
We believe libraries are a public good that better our communities through education and access to resources. We seek to share talking points in support of the work libraries do, develop systems and tools to support library workers, and create paths for library friends to speak in support of libraries.