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Romance Writer Nora Roberts Supports Library Defunded by Wannabe Book Banners. [1]

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Date: 2022-08-31

Earlier this month, the Patmos Library in Jamestown Township, Michigan, lost 84% of it’s funding because the library board refused to remove all LBGTQ+ books from it’s shelves at the demand of local RWNJs. Because the library board refused to go all-in on banning books, said RWNJs began a campaign to vote against renewing the property taxes that supplied most of the library’s annual budget. The campaign was successful, leaving the library facing truly massive cuts to it’s funding.

Without that funding, the library likely would have been forced to limp along, likely closing its doors by fall 2023.

Faced with future dissolution of the library due to the RWNJ attitude of “if we can’t have our way, we’d rather just shut down the entire library and punish the entire community,” library supporters started a GoFundMe page to support the library and try to make up the ~$245,000 in funding that was slashed by the millage vote.

That’s when popular romance novelist Nora Roberts stepped up to the plate and pledged $50,000 to the GoFundMe, together with a note that GoFundMe limits donations to that amount, but if more was needed to reach the goal, she was down for covering the shortfall if necessary.

The GoFundMe has a stated goal of $245,000, and as of my writing this, has pushed a little past that goal and is standing at slightly over $250,000, but I’m sure even more funding to ensure the security of the library’s future would be appreciated.

EveryLibrary, a political action committee dedicated to supporting libraries, has issued this statement after the lost vote:

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/8/31/2120095/-Romance-Writer-Nora-Roberts-Supports-Library-Defunded-by-Wannabe-Book-Banners

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