Freedom to Read Nevada

We have two screenings of the documentary The Librarians coming up this week! The first is on Saturday, Feb. 21st at 2:00 at the Sparks Library, and the second on Tuesday, Feb. 24th at 6:00 in the Wells Fargo Auditorium at the UNR Knowledge Center.

IN SUMMARY:

• Our second screening of The Librarians will be Saturday, Feb. 21st at 2:00 at the Sparks Library.
• The third screening will be in partnership with KUNR and the UNR library on Tuesday, Feb. 24th at 6:00 in the Wells Fargo Auditorium at the UNR Knowledge Center.
• And a fourth screening will be held by Sierra Nevada Forums and KUNR on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 5:30 pm in the Ballroom at the Brewery Arts Center in Carson City.
• Keep an eye out for an announcement about public interviews for the library director position.
• Get up to speed on challenges faced by local public libraries.

THE LIBRARIANS SCREENINGS

Freedom to Read Nevada has partnered with The Radical Cat bookstore to bring the documentary The Librarians to northern Nevada. We held our first screening at the beautiful Downtown Reno Library auditorium on Feb. 1st and had over 50 people in attendance! There was a community discussion afterward, and it felt great to gather with people who believe that libraries should be free, open to all, and should have materials and programs for everyone.

We are looking forward to three more screenings of the film and to our partnership with KUNR, who is co-hosting the screening on Feb. 24th, which will feature a panel discussion.

The Radical Cat events page describes the film this way: “From Oscar-nominated Director and Producer Kim A. Snyder and Executive Producer Sarah Jessica Parker, The Librarians takes viewers from Texas to Florida and beyond, where local libraries have become unexpected battlegrounds in a national struggle over parental control, intellectual freedom, and democracy itself. Sparked by the controversial “Krause List” in Texas, which targets 850 books centered on race and LGBTQIA+ stories, the film takes a deep investigative dive into the escalating movement against book banning. The film captures the courage and resilience of the everyday heroes, librarians, as well as concerned parents and students flanking them, who have become first responders in the fight for the freedom to read, standing defiantly against censorship at all costs.”

LIBRARY BOARD MEETINGS

The library board meeting for Feb. 18th was cancelled, and the next scheduled meeting will be March 18th at 5:30 p.m. at the Sparks Library.

On the agenda for the Feb. 18th meeting was the presentation of the Big Check from the Friends of Washoe County Library, which happens annually. Last year, they donated $100,000 to fund programming, materials, and staff development at Washoe County Libraries. Presumably, the check will be presented in March.

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

LIBRARY DIRECTOR INTERVIEWS

At the most recent library board meeting, we learned that interviews for the new library director will be conducted in a public meeting format. We are keeping our ears open for an announcement of that meeting, and will be putting out a call to action for the public to attend.

At the January 21st library board meeting, many members of the public voiced their concerns about the fact that Washoe County has removed the requirement for the new library director to have a master’s degree in library science (MLIS), and will accept candidates with a master’s in business (MBA) instead. This change caused widespread concern among library advocates, who understand that the library is not a business. You can see the public comments from that library board meeting here.

GET UP TO SPEED ON LOCAL LIBRARY ISSUES

Do you know someone who wants to get involved as a library advocate and needs to understand how we got here? Our timeline explains the struggles (and some victories) that Washoe County libraries have been through since 2022.

UPCOMING FRIENDS OF WASHOE COUNTY LIBRARY BOOK SALE

Did you know that the Friends of Washoe County Libraries has raised over $2.6 million for the Washoe County Library System? These funds have been used for library programs, books and materials, staff trainings, technology, marketing, and an endowment fund.

The next book sale will be March 21 – 29, from 10 am to 4 pm, inside the Reno Town Mall, 4001 S Virginia St, Reno, NV 89502 (at the corner of S. Virginia, near the Atlantis Hotel and Casino). Member Night is March 20th from 3-6pm.

LOCAL MUTUAL AID AND ACTIVISM EVENTS

(What’s mutual aid?)

Good Neighbors Warming Centers are up and running for the winter. If you want to volunteer and help keep women and families warm this winter, email: goodneighborsreno@gmail.com.

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 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. 

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! 

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 released a zine to help organize your neighbors! (IG)

CodePink Reno hosts regular meetings. 

Every Friday from 12-1pm: 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!

Other local mutual-aid or similar organizations worth following:

Wild West Abortion Fund, funding abortions in Nevada (IG)

Reno Sunrise Movement, empowering community to fight against the climate crisis

MaskBloc Reno, providing KN95/N95+ masks and rapid antigen tests to fight the continuing spread of COVID-19

Biggest Free Little Pantry, stocking food pantries for those in need at multiple locations.

See you at the movies,

FtR-NV Steering Committee