On March 14, 2025, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14238, “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy.” Among the many institutions eliminated was the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The order forced these institutions to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, and such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law.” Library funding was effectively slashed, and the public library system suffered greatly for it.
However, on April 9, the Trump administration reached a settlement with IMLS. With the signing of the settlement, IMLS would be permitted to continue awarding grants, conducting research and generally supporting libraries and museums. The bottleneck was opened up: grants were reinstated, staff were rehired and the Trump administration has pledged to ease off the IMLS.
Continuing the good news, this upcoming week, April 19 to 25, is National Library Week. This year, the theme is “Find Your Joy,” so, in the spirit of that search, I invite you to look for your joy at the local library. Public services tend to operate on a “use it or lose it” principle. Let me show you how to use our public library system.
As a student who studies in Cleveland, congratulations, you are automatically eligible for a Cleveland Public Library (CPL) card. For those more worldly, you can travel to any CPL branch and apply for a library card in-person. All you need is a form of identification and proof of residency. That can be recent mail, or for students, go to MyHousing, navigate to “My Assignments,” select your current assignment and download the “Proof of Residency” form. For homebodies, there is an application online at CPL’s website, using all the resources mentioned previously. You will, however, be limited to an e-card until venturing to a physical branch. Even still, the e-card is enough to grant you access to the wonderful world of digital library resources.
If one card is not enough for you, there are satellite cards that out-of-state library enthusiasts can request. The most well-known of which is the Books Unbanned Library Card. The card is available from any of their coalition libraries (Boston Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, LA County Library, Long Beach Public Library, San Diego Public Library and Seattle Public Library), giving the cardholder access to their entire digital catalog online and through Libby. The card is intended for young people (13-21), either in their respective states or in states facing heavy book bans, though most young people in the United States are eligible to apply. While Cleveland does not face heavy book bans, there is no harm in having more access to library resources, especially for young people.
Once you finally have your library card, in any form, you unlock a massive amount of resources. The pièce de résistance is, of course, Libby (otherwise known as OverDrive), a website that allows library systems across the United States to license e-books and audiobooks to serve their larger communities. With the CPL e-card, on Libby, you have access to an absurd amount of e-books and audiobooks, all for free. On the card, you can have 20 loans and 50 holds at a time. For reference, larger city library cards cap out at three loans and holds, sometimes reaching ten of each. The CPL system is incredibly gracious. Their catalogue is also fairly robust, and wait times on books, even popular new releases, are not particularly long. It would be a disservice to yourself not to take advantage of it.
Of course, physical branches where you can check out any number of books allow you to access CDs, DVDs and a number of other types of physical media. The branches also provide access to non-literary-related resources. The e-card grants you access to Kanopy, a digital media streaming service, and Hoopla, essentially a combination of Libby and Kanopy. In person, many of the library branches in Cleveland have innovation centers, maker spaces similar to our own Sears think[box]. For the local community, this is likely the only way they would have access to such expensive machines as a quilting machine or a 3D printer. The Cleveland library system even has seed “libraries” for Clevelanders who are interested in getting started with gardening. A library is all about access, and this does not start and end in the stacks.
The closest CPL branch to campus is the Martin Luther King Jr. branch. This month alone, they have line dancing, bracelet-making, game night, storytimes and author talks. The library is more than just a place to borrow resources. It is a genuine community hub that we cannot afford to lose. Take advantage of these third spaces while we still have them.
If I may stay on my soapbox for just a bit more, a library card can be the perfect way to “find your joy.” Since I am dedicated to the craft of obtaining library cards, I have amassed four cards. I have my New York State card, my county’s card, my Cleveland Public Library card and the Columbus Metropolitan Library card (which all Ohio residents qualify for). Few things bring me more joy than having an essentially limitless catalog of books, movies and other resources on my phone. There is more to a library than tables and chairs, even more than books; I’m looking at you, Kelvin Smith Library denizens. Even if you don’t get more than one card, please get your Cleveland Public Library card.