The Freedom to Read Nevada logo, which says "Freedom to Read" in larger letters and "Nevada" underneath. Hubert the bookworm flies beside it. Art by Figbar Lonesome.

Freedom to Read Nevada

JULY MEMBER UPDATES

The Freedom to Read Nevada logo, which says "Freedom to Read" in larger letters and "Nevada" underneath. Hubert the bookworm flies beside it. Art by Figbar Lonesome.
A clear plastic tub is on a wooden table. Inside is hand sanitizer, gatorade, bottled water, granola, snacks, and sheet protectors. There is clearly more in the tub as well.
We mean business at the Downtown Library on Wednesdays—if you see this tub, that means we’re around doing free resume/cover letter editing! See below for more details.

In Summary

  • Upcoming board meetings, member meetings, screenings, etc.
  • Sunday, July 13, 3pm, Spanish Springs Library: Members meeting
  • Wednesday, July 16, 5:30pm, South Valleys Library: Next LBOT meeting
  • Every Wednesday, 1-2pm, Downtown Reno Library: Free resume and cover letter editing
  • All of our merch is through Figbar Lonesome’s Redbubble page. Please double-check the URL before purchasing, as we’ve found a handful of scam sites.

New! free Resume & Cover letter editing

Calling all job seekers! Every Wednesday, from 1-2pm at the Downtown Reno Library, members of the steering committee with editing expertise post up to help jobseekers or others with resume and cover letter editing. We recommend bringing a paper copy, but if that’s not accessible, we can print one out there. Don’t have a resume or cover letter? We’ll help you create one! Working on a resume or cover letter but not for a job application? We can help you with that, too!

A flyer for Ftr-Nevada's editing services, which says, "If you're a jobseeker who could use support on your resume or cover letter, we want to help! Don't have a resume or cover letter? We can help you create one!" There are then bullets: "When: Weekly on Wednesdays, 1-2pm. Where: Downtown Library. What: Bring a copy of your resume/cover letter (or we can print one off there) for editing. Cost: FREE." There are clip arts of resumes and cover letters, as well as the FtR logo.

Legislative Updates

Unfortunately, despite being passed by both the Assembly and Senate, Governor Lombardo vetoed both AB 416 and AB 445. AB 416 would have protected public schools and libraries from book banning and censorship attempts, and AB 445 would have protected librarians from prosecution in such events. We are disappointed to say the least, but we look forward to working to pass even better bills at the next legislative session.

Upcoming BCC Meetings

While the commissioners are not currently discussing library business, it’s never a bad idea to advocate for the library at meetings, especially given the budget discussion that will resurface in the fall.

Tuesday at 10a.m., July 15 and 22, at 1001 E. Ninth Street, Building A, Reno, NV 89512

Need help figuring out what to say? Check out our guide to giving public comment. If you don’t plan to give comment, you can still show up with a book to show your support!

Library Board Meetings

Vice Chair Tami Ruf was reappointed to the library board by commissioners, which means LBOT remains full and will not have interim open slots. The agenda for the next meeting is already posted. Things to discuss in public comment include giving support for the assistant director and librarians; hiring a legitimate, skilled library director that follows county guidelines and ALA best practices; and any questions regarding proposed bylaw changes that you may have.

Wednesday at 5:30p.m. at South Valleys Library, 15650-A Wedge Pkwy, Reno, NV 89511.

Check out our guide to giving public comment to help express yourself to our library board!

Save the Date!

Our next members meeting is this Sunday, July 13, at 3pm at the Spanish Springs Library. We’ll be folding zines made by the steering committee explaining the library story here in Washoe County and how it connects to larger movements across the States.

We encourage members to pop by and chat with us about why they love the library and how to support it in these trying times, even if they can’t stay for zine folding. For those planning on going to the BCC (see above) and/or LBOT meeting (see below), we’ll be happy to talk about those too. Also, we encourage families to bring the kids along, as we have coloring pages and snacks!

Recommended Reading

The steering committee is currently reading Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by adrienne maree brown. Some of us are concurrently reading Holding Change: The Way of Emergent Strategy Facilitation and Mediation, also by brown.

Interested in FtR-NV merch?

Our member-artist Figbar Lonesome has a Redbubble page where you can purchase official FtR-NV merchandise. Whether you’re looking for a t-shirt, tote, tank, or something else, this is our only merch page. We’ve gotten wind there are scam pages out there. PLEASE make sure you are using this Redbubble link before purchasing anything!!

Getting this email but haven’t filled out the pledge form?

Please do!! It takes five seconds! All the pledge form does is allow us to officially count you among our number of supporters. That’s it—we don’t charge a membership fee or gatekeep information. You must opt-in this way in order to be counted.

Pledge Your Support

Local Mutual Aid & Activism Events

(What’s mutual aid?)

  • Every Saturday, 10-12pm, Bennett Park: Biggest Little Food Not Bombs serves free meals.
  • Every Sunday, 4:30pm and 6pm, Hampton House Gardens: Reno Family Dinner, and all are welcome.
  • Every Sunday, 12-2pm, Radical Cat parking lot: Northern Nevada Harm Reduction Alliance provides harm reduction services and equipment. (IG here)
  • Every other Sunday, 12pm, Center of Influence food pantry; 2pm, parking lot at Evans Ave and East 6th Street: Reno Burrito Project rolls burritos at the food pantry and distributes them in the parking lot. Their next dates are July 13 and 27. Currently, they do not need volunteers (although many of them are gone for the summer), but in general, you can help with donations, rolling, or distributing (or all three!). 
  • Every Monday, 6-7pm, Our Center: Mutual Aid Network Northern Nevada hosts Mutual Aid Mondays to discuss what local mutual aid groups are up to and how we can support each other. They also post a weekly mutual aid calendar on their social media.
  • Every Tuesday, 6pm, Believe Plaza: Family Soup Mutual Aid distributes hot food and necessities to anyone in need, no questions asked. Check out their LinkTree to sign up for their newsletter, donate via Venmo, or volunteer to bring food! They’re currently accepting donations for summer items to help our unhoused neighbors.
    • On Saturday, July 12, from 8:30-11am, FSMA also be hosting a river cleanup at Brodhead Memorial Park.
  • Every Tuesday, 6-8pm, Our Center: Trans Support Reno hosts meetings for 18+ trans, nonbinary, gender questioning, gender nonconforming, and other gender fuckery folks. The first, third, and fourth Tuesdays are for emotional support; the second an informal topic-based meeting. The LGBTQ+ support group is every other Wednesday from 5:30-7pm; sign-ups are at the link.
  • Every other Wednesday, 6-7pm, Holland Project and online: Reno Sparks Tenant Union meetings, where new members are always welcome. They recently released a zine to help organize your neighbors! (IG)
  • Besides their regular Thursday meetings, CodePink Reno is urging people to call on behalf of the Freedom Flotilla’s boat Madleen, which was boarded by IOF yesterday. They have a script and list of numbers here. 
  • Every Friday from 12-2pm: Laundry to the People offers a laundry service to our unhoused neighbors at Champion Laundry Center (1301 S Wells Ave). They’re always in need of supplies like laundry detergent, heavy-duty trash bags, color-safe bleach, fabric softener, and dryer sheets. If you can’t meet up with them on Friday, you can bring donations to The Rad Cat!
  • Every Friday, 6:30-8pm, Our Center: Radical Seeds Reno has their member meetings! They often discuss readings or books.
  • Every other Friday from 8-10am, Good Deed Seeds asks volunteers to join weedapalooza! They have a free seed library, and you can take home some tasty weeds… probably.
  • Urban Roots Nevada is hosting a Brew for the Roots fundraiser on Friday, July 18, from 5-10pm at Piñon Bottle South. See their website for other upcoming events.

Other local mutual-aid or similar organizations worth following:

Alas, we have come to the end of the newsletter, which means the end of the page, which means it’s time to check out something else! (GEDDIT?)

FtR-NV Steering Committee

Response

  1. Cady Stanton Avatar
    Cady Stanton

    Thank you for all of these great resources! We would love to have them in a binder in our lobby and/or share them in our newsletter. Is that okay with you, as long as we give you credit for compiling them?

    Warmly, Cady

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