Join your humanists friends to talk about what we can do to support and protect our libraries and librarians. Katherine Freligh, the Legislative Chair of the South Carolina Association of School Librarians, will be talking to us and leading a discussion about current threats to public and school libraries, efforts to censor what people can access, what it is like for librarians right now, and how we as a community can push back in support of libraries and the public servants who make them work.
This is an urgent issue as South Carolina is on the front lines of the fight over public and school libraries. Libraries are a cornerstone of a functioning democratic society. They provide access to information and knowledge, promote literacy and education, provide community space for civic engagement (for example, this member gathering), and protect intellectual freedom. Libraries also play a critical role in advancing social equity by helping bridge the digital divide, offering free access to computers, the internet, and digital literacy training. This ensures that all citizens, regardless of their economic status, have the tools they need to participate in the digital aspects of modern democracy.
Libraries also advance social equity by supporting marginalized groups. Libraries often provide targeted services for marginalized and underserved populations, such as immigrants, the homeless, and non-native speakers, promoting social inclusion and equity. They provide resources to help everyone better understand themselves, and the world they live in. So it is no surprise that they have come under attack from those who want to preserve the status quo. Those of us who believe in a free and equitable society must stand up, and fight back.
3 pm on Sunday, August 18, 2024 at Charleston County Public Library – Main Branch, 68 Calhoun St · Charleston, SC