Library Love: Camas library hosts free advocacy workshops

Camas resident Swati Wilson and her family are frequent visitors to the Camas Public Library.

“Our benefits are wide-ranging, from borrowing books to our Camas High teen joining our library’s Youth Advisory Council,” Wilson said. “So, naturally, I’m among countless neighbors who are huge fans of our library.”

She and other Camas library devotees are taking their casual advocacy to the next level as libraries across the country have come under attack over everything from hosting drag queen story hours to fighting off book bans. Wilson and others see more threats coming with a new presidential administration intent on making drastic cuts to the federal government that could impact many grants and other resources on which local libraries rely.

On March 7, Wilson and eight other residents gathered in the Camas library’s second-floor community room for the first in a series of library advocacy classes. Camas programming librarian Vanessa Perger is offering the workshops once a month on Thursday evenings throughout the year.

“It’s everyday advocacy and spreading the word before we hit a crisis,” Perger said. “We’re just sharing why libraries are important and learning how to tell a story.”

Perger and Camas Public Library Director Connie Urquhart said that even though the Camas library has strong local support it is not immune from political attacks.

“It’s coming from all sides. As far as the federal cuts, we haven’t really seen that impact yet, but there are some significant federal grants that we get,” Urquhart said. “We’re all trying to take a proactive approach and understand that, just because there may be things happening in other communities where libraries are having budget cuts or censorship issues, doesn’t mean that it can’t happen here.”

Perger said the American Library Association is currently fighting to keep a conservative group known as Consumers Research from jeopardizing E-Rate, a federal program that has helped libraries secure affordable broadband connections for 30 years. The ALA last week filed an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court defending the program.

“They’re trying to say free internet is unconstitutional,” Perger said of the conservative group leading the fight to kill E-Rate. “It’s more than just an attack.”

Urquhart said she has heard from patrons who are worried about the library.

“People are concerned about so many things right now. There’s the financial concern, but also the censorship concern,” Urquhart said. “I think this series of workshops will help participants to be able to have talking points and ways to speak with their friends and neighbors about what’s happening.”

Urquhart said the Camas library has a lot of support from the local community and that the advocacy workshops are more about “harnessing that support” and teaching participants how to connect the services the library provides with stories that show the outcomes of those services.

“People feel a sense of hopelessness in the country, so this is something tangible that people can do,” Urquhart said. “And it really doesn’t even have to be political. It’s more, ‘I care about this institution and want to be an advocate.’ ”

In the first advocacy class, the group spent about 90 minutes talking to each other about what motivated them to attend and the many services the library provides that go far beyond books, including a safe, inclusive space where people can access information and meet like-minded community members without spending a dime.

“The first (class) went really well. It was a great group of people who seemed concerned and passionate about how they can help the library, so I’m very optimistic for what’s to come,” Perger said.

Perger will host a repeat of the first class from 3 to 4 p.m. Saturday. This class and future workshops are free and open to the public. For more information or to register for the library advocacy workshops, visit camaspl.org/ADVOCACY.