Read Our 2021 Annual Report
In 2021, the EveryLibrary Institute was engaged in several critical conversations about the future of public and school libraries - and funding for the workforce that powers them.
The EveryLibrary Institute is set up as a public policy, tax policy, and education policy think tank for libraries in the United States and abroad. Our non-profit 501(c)3 mission is to develop research, programmatic opportunities, trainings, fiscal sponsorships, and scholarship that advance the image and impact of libraries and libraries to the general public and policymakers.
This year, we operationalized a new statewide program with the Delaware library community, conducted numerous trainings and leadership retreats for state library associations, published extensively on the future of school libraries and public libraries, and scaled-up public outreach and education across the EveryLibrary network. We invite you to learn more here with our Executive Summary, below, or download the full 20-page report to review. All our work is supported by donors and grant. If you'd like to learn more or to be a part of this unique, high-impact work, please visit everylibraryinstitute.org/donate today.
RESEARCH AGENDA
The EveryLibrary Institute is committed to supporting research and scholarship that is focused on the future of libraries and librarianship. In 2021, we published six papers on issues impacting libraries as well as an issue of The Political Librarian, our journal. We partnered with the Freckle Project, a series of surveys designed to understand trends in American reading habits. During the Pandemic, this is an especially important topic. Volume 5, Issue 1 of The Political Librarian included five articles on topics from campaigning for a referendum to participatory budgeting and the impact of xenophobia on library practices and policies. We provided substantial support to the Freckle Project, an ongoing survey of the American public focused on the ways people source and use books, especially through libraries. Our series of free webinars continued to advance the discussion about emerging issues in libraries.
PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES
The EveryLibrary Institute is a partner to state library associations around the country as they look to develop their independent and legitimate policy agendas. Our work supports state association leaders as they two ask big questions: "Are our values as librarians reflected in state budgets and legislation?" and "Are we positioned to develop and advance our agenda through coalitions"? In Massachusetts, we backed an amendment to H.4120, a bill that would provide a fair marketplace for libraries to purchase ebooks and other electronic materials. In New Mexico, we researched the economic and educational impact of GO Bonds for Libraries to create a forecast for the legislative session which encouraged the state legislature to fully fund the 2022 program. And in Utah, we helped the ULA Community realign their responses around censorship challenges to provide a framework for new coalitions of concern outside libraries.
STATEWIDE PARTNERSHIP
ELI and the Delaware Division of Libraries launched a powerful new outreach and marketing program in 2021 to build new awareness about libraries and librarians in the state and support a more effective policy framework. The Delaware project was launched with GetALibraryCardDE.org in September and a statewide Giving Tuesday campaign in December. The three hallmarks for the project are: a focus on digital campaigns across the web and social media to make Delaware Libraries highly discoverable; integrating the digital campaign with traditional media including editorials, radio ads, and even billboards; and designing everything to be actionable and shareable. Each library in Delaware is connected through the SirsiDynix catalog and website portal. SirsiDynix helped power Library Card Signup Month in a new way to create opt-ins for people across the state to not only get a library card but also to support the campaign.
MUTAL AID PROJECTS
In 2021, after Congress passed the American Rescue Plan and significant stabilization funds were available to state and local government, we made the decision to sunset the HALO Project, a mutual aid program that gave small personal grants to librarians and library workers impacted by the COVID shutdowns. Through the 14 months of the HALO Project, we raised $88,865 from 603 individuals and a dozen organizations. After banking expenses, 100% went back out as personal grants to 396 people in need. We are proud of HALO's impact on people across libraries. We are grateful to the team at Urban Librarians Unite and the Awesome Libraries Foundation for being the first donors. Many thanks to EBSCO, Gale Public Libraries, Niche Academy, Brainfuse, Zoobean, PKI International, Quipu Group, Library Works, and WT Cox for their commitment to library workers.
FUNDRAISING PARTNERS
We are grateful for the amazing support from HumbleBundle again in 2021. We would also like to thank Black Library/GamesWorkshop for designating us four times as their charitable beneficiary. Their commitment to supporting libraries is deep and we appreciate them for viewing us as aligned and capable in our work. Thanks as well to Wiley for their "Become an Entrepreneur" bundle and to Quarto for designating us in their "Home Sweet Home" bundle. You can learn more about HumbleBundle's mission to provide great deals on great products while supporting charities like the EveryLibrary Institute at humblebundle.com.
NATIONDIGITAL LAUNCH
NationDigital is our full-service web design and campaign strategy firm dedicated to helping libraries, issue advocacy organizations, and candidates communicate more effectively, raise more money, engage more volunteers, and manage their digital footprint properly. We build all of our campaigns on NationBuilder, a best-in-class digital publishing and contact management platform. Our team of certified NationBuilder developers can help any campaign scope and scale new ways to communicate.
LEARN MORE AND JOIN US
Download the 2021 EveryLibrary Institute Annual Report now (opens PDF). If you believe in this work and want to see a new framework for the policy, partnerships, and training programs that support librarians and library workers, please donate today.
Download the 2021 Annual Report Today