NCL member blog post by Cindy Hohl, President, American Library Association

Libraries are known hubs for literacy and lifelong learning, beginning with storytime for our youngest learners and branching from there to meet the evolving needs of learners of all ages. Libraries also embrace the National Coalition for Literacy’s shared understanding that literacy is not just about reading and writing but, as UNESCO describes, “a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider society.” 

The continuum of learning demands that we build upon basic reading skills to include information literacy, digital literacy, financial literacy, health literacy, and civic literacy. As we consider how to meet the universal and unique needs of the communities we serve, America’s more than 120,000 public, academic, school, and special libraries curate information and deliver formal and informal learning experiences to deliver upon that promise, particularly to those for whom the promise can be elusive.

Full participation in a democratic society includes voting, and libraries recognize that elections bring unique challenges to voters, especially for our neighbors or students with low literacy levels. Those challenges include:

• changes to election laws;
• changes to registration and polling locations;
• ballot measures with vague or complicated language;
• mis- and disinformation; and
• lack of internet or access to digital tools.

At each step of the way, libraries rise to meet those challenges and ensure that voters have the information, access, and ability to make their voices heard at the polls.  Here are a few glimpses of that work in action. 

Libraries partner with civic organizations and elections officials to keep communities informed about changes to election law and administration. In Minnesota, the Secretary of State partners with Minitex, the state’s information and resource sharing organization for libraries, to provide librarians with election law updates and training so that this information can be disseminated to communities across the state.

Libraries provide free access to computers and internet at a time when voter registration and other tools for civic participation are increasingly online. Public school and academic libraries offer digital skills assistance and training so that communities can not only use these tools, but also navigate the flood of material to find credible and accurate information. With a glut of false and artificially generated election information, the Detroit Public Library collaborates with the League of Women Voters Democracy Truth Project to offers workshops in identifying and responding to mis- and disinformation. As part of its Media Literacy for Adult Audiences project, ALA recently published a new guide about the architecture of the internet, adding to its suite of resources for adult education.

Voter participation is lowest on down ballot races and on local ballot measures. Many people count on their local library as a place to pick up a print copy of their local voter guide. In Texas, the Harris County Public Library recently partnered with the local League of Women Voters and OverDrive, a digital content provider, to make the guide available as an e-Book and audiobook. Across the country, libraries work with civic organizations, elections officials, and subject-matter experts to present information about what is on the ballot.

At the American Library Association, we believe that democracy is stronger when all voices can be heard. That is why we are committed to supporting, uplifting, and expanding the voter engagement work of libraries and library organizations across the country. Through our Reader Voter Ready campaign, we offer trainings, information, and resources. We also have the honor of highlighting innovative work at the state and local level. In partnership with other civic organizations, we leverage civic holidays to encourage and facilitate voter participation, and we partner with the League of Women Voters who, like us, bring a commitment to empowering voters in every community across this country.

Our commitment to literacy and expanding opportunities for our communities is a long game. During this and other election cycles, we also embrace the need to help our communities overcome the immediate barriers to access, and to ensure that all eligible voters can make their voices heard at the ballot box.