#libaries

With the incoming trend of people wanting to learn mandarin and move to xiaohongshu, I want to promote YOUR local library!

I am a big fan of danmei and cdramas. So I have already been thinking about learning mandarin just so I can read/watch untranslated material. I felt like this (amazing) shift was my sign to get started.

I live in between two towns, so I technically have 2 local libraries, and both of them are spectacular- I feel spoiled. I went to both of their websites and looked at their online learning resources. With just my library card, I was able to sign up for 2 different language learning websites!

Don't sleep on your local library! Check out their resources. If your local library isn't doing so well (still support them! They need you to use their resources/services for funding!) But try looking up other libraries from nearby towns or just anywhere in the country that allows a free non-resident card. Or, if you are willing to pay a fee, there are more options. Check out their websites for their online resources! And if you enjoy reading digital books, you can also try checking out their selection on Hoopla and Libby!

“If you haven’t read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experiences alone aren’t broad enough to sustain you.” – Jim Mattis, via Chris Lynch, Quotes of The Day. The picture is a few years old, but the library is still a regular part of Adeline and her brother’s lives. “You will be the same person in five years, that you are…

Today, President Donald J. Trump appointed Keith E. Sonderling as Acting Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), raising significant concerns for the nation’s library and museum communities.

IMLS is an independent federal agency with a statutory mission to provide funding, policy leadership, and research to support libraries and museums across the United States. This mission must remain nonpartisan and nonpolitical and aligned with the statutory framework established by Congress.

In the press release announcing his installation, Mr. Sonderling said, “I am committed to steering this organization in lockstep with this Administration to enhance efficiency and foster innovation. We will revitalize IMLS and restore focus on patriotism, ensuring we preserve our country’s core values, promote American exceptionalism and cultivate love of country in future generations.” We are concerned about M. Sonderling’s statement and want to ensure that our position is clear: The Trump Administration must not politicize the role of IMLS. Public libraries and museums serve all people without ideological bias, and federal funding should not be contingent on political agendas.

As the new Acting Director takes office, we want to reiterate that the Institute of Museum and Library Services is statutorily bound to fulfill its obligations under the Museum and Library Services Act (MLSA) and must continue implementing Congress’s appropriations as enacted in the current federal budget. Federal law and current-year appropriations mandate that IMLS disburse funding to Grants to States recipients, National Leadership Grants and Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program recipients, Native American and Native Hawaiian Library Services recipients, and all museums-focused grant recipients. The agency must continue its statutory operations and research portfolio as well.

We expect Acting IMLS Director Sonderling to execute these core functions faithfully, fairly, and in full compliance with federal law, especially as the Executive Order of March 14, 2025, comes into force.  IMLS does not exist to promote political ideology; it ensures access to knowledge, history, and culture for all Americans. Any attempts to undermine this mission—through ideological funding restrictions, biased program administration, or politically motivated policy changes—would be a gross overreach and a violation of IMLS’s mandate.

We call on Congress, particularly committees with jurisdiction over IMLS, to exercise oversight of implementing the March 14, 2025, Executive Order to ensure that IMLS remains faithful to its statutory obligations and does not become a tool for ideological influence. We encourage library and museum professionals, educators, and cultural institutions to closely monitor IMLS funding announcements and policy shifts for any indications of bias or undue influence. Libraries and museums must remain free from political interference and dedicated to the core values of learning, knowledge, and access for all.

Join us at SaveIMLS.org to advocate that IMLS upholds these values and ensures it serves every American community fairly and equitably.

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"It's Friends of Libraries Week, a time to celebrate the volunteer organizations that support your local libraries. You’ve probably seen the note “Ex-Library” on a few items on ThriftBooks, maybe even have purchased some. You can guess that you’ll be getting a former library book, but what you might not know is that we partner with those libraries, so when we sell a former library book that library receives a portion of the profits!