And we believe that consistent, persistent public accountability will make a difference.
Here’s how you can help get this done.
It’s easy. It’s quick. It’s anonymous. And it requires no confrontation.
But you’ll be making a difference.
Step 1 – Understand the Map
Above is a map of Alabama public libraries. It is interactive. You can click on it, stretch it, etc.
In the top right of the map is a county selector.
When you choose your county, the map will zoom in, showing all Alabama public libraries in that county.
Step 2 – Understand the Color Coding
Each library is color-coded.
Red – means at the last visit, transgender material was blatantly and obviously in the children’s / juvenile / young adult’s sections
Orange – means at the last visit, some transgender material was found in the children’s / juvenile / young adult’s sections. But it seemed the library was making an effort to comply with APLS guidelines
Green – means at the last visit, the children’s / juvenile / young adult’s sections were free from transgender material
Gray – means the library hasn’t been visited yet
If the library has been visited (it will show red, orange, or green), you can click on the “Show results for this library” link and it will open a new tab showing all visits that have been made to that library.
You can also see the last date the library was visited.
Step 3 – Visit a Library
1 – If a library hasn’t been visited, it needs to be.
2 – If they are non-compliant, we want to document that.
3 – If they are compliant, we want to thank them and praise them.
4 – If a library hasn’t been visited in a couple of weeks and you’re close, visit it again. Documenting a history of non-compliance helps us show intent.
Step 4 – Find the Transgender Books
For example, before I visit a library in Jefferson County (Birmingham area where I live), I go to the Jefferson County Library Cooperative search and enter “gender identity” and then limit books to the children’s section and the library I plan to visit.
This Jefferson County search literally points out their own non-compliance.
Then I go the library and find the books on the shelves.
I pull the books off the shelf, stack them up, place them like this (below) so I can take a picture of the titles with the location labels showing that they were shelved for minors, and then I take a picture.
Step 5 – Send Your Findings to Alabama67
Finally, simply email your pictures to Alabama67 using this email – libraries@alabama67.com
Let us know:
- The library you visited
- The date you visited
- Whether you found transgender books in the children’s / juvenile / young adult’s sections or not
- If you found non-compliant books, send us the pictures
If you’re an extrovert, you might (kindly and politely) mention what you are doing and why. Person to person interaction is always the most powerful.
If you’re an introvert like me, you might be pleased to simply stay anonymous, knowing that you’ve already made a difference.
As we grow, we will create a 1-page document you could also hand to the library staff noting your visit and your findings and point them to Alabama67.
Step 6 – What Alabama67 Will Do
From the information and pictures you sent, we will document your findings on our Alabama67 map.
We will change the library color to red, orange, or green, update the last date visited, and add your pictures to our findings log. Of course, your pictures will remain anonymous.
Our Goal
Our goal is to triage all of Alabama public libraries. We want to identify:
- Compliant libraries – we will praise them for their compliance
- Non-compliant libraries out of neglect – we want to alert them and encourage them to remove the transgender books from the children’s section
- Intentionally non-compliant libraries – we want to identify patterns of non-compliance so we know which libraries need corrective attention
I can’t do this myself. You can’t do this yourself. 20 people can’t do this themselves.
It will take hundreds of people across the state to visit their local library once a month and spend 30 minutes gathering books and taking a few pictures.
Spending 30 minutes a month visiting one library compounded across hundreds of people across Alabama will make a difference.
Coordinating and working together across Alabama will allow us to:
- Identify intentionally non-compliant libraries across the state
- Supply the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) with documentation about what’s happening in their libraries (we are not affiliated with APLS, but their board members will notice our efforts if we do this well – they are aware of the input and opinion of Alabamians on this subject)
- Bring this issue before the public in a visual, easily consumable format
If you have any questions at all, please email us at libraries@alabama67.com
