Welcome to 2022
Aloha Authors and Friends,
We have arrived at yet another Spring, now two years since the world was practically shut down by COVID-19. We've been shut in, masked, vaccinated, traumatized, and grieving for our losses. These two years have not been easy for anyone. Inherent flaws in society have been brought into the forefront of news reports and social media. As we return to the world of socializing face-to-face, we are coming to terms with the fact that COVID will now be a permanent reality.
Many have started writing. Jotting down words and stories is an outlet for our fears and struggles, our joys and triumphs. We use words to express our innermost emotions, to release our frustrations, to ease our pain. Words are our truths manifested for anyone to see, read, and understand.
When I began classes to become a librarian, I was eager to join the ranks of those who create access to information, protect intellectual freedom, and reach out to communities to meet their needs. I never imagined that I would land in the middle of a pandemic where access like this would become even more important and ever more at risk. I read articles every week about librarians faced with job termination and jail time for the vital act of providing access to books. Texas, Idaho, Iowa, Florida, and other states are attempting to pass dangerously restrictive legislation against libraries and librarians, and these are not limited to school libraries.
As authors and readers, you understand how important libraries are to your community. When you want to safely research a sensitive topic, the library supports you by giving you access and protecting your privacy. A librarian is always available to answer your questions. When you want to get your books into the hands of readers, the library is great place to start. Many library systems promote Read Local programs or allow customers to request independently published books to put on their shelves. Inter-Library Loan makes it possible for libraries to share materials across library district borders, brining stories and information into the hands of many more people.
If you value your own right to have you books consumed by the public, then you must support the rights of the public to have access to all materials. Fight book challenges and bans. Don't allow a few to dictate what you and your community can access. Ensure that you and future generations preserve the freedom to read.
If you would like to know more about how libraries protect your right to read the books of your choosing, follow this link to the American Library Association's Freedom to Read statement. "The freedom to read is essential to our democracy."
