We knew it was coming and here it is. On Friday night, March 14, Trump dropped an executive order calling for the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, America’s only federal agency for libraries.

The order eliminates agencies that “President has determined are unnecessary.” It calls for the firing of 75 federal workers and rejects funding requests for the nation’s 125,000 public, school, academic, and special libraries.

This is not about “managing efficiency,” “reducing bureaucracy,” or “fiscal responsibility.” Public libraries in the United States use 0.003% of the federal budget for programs and services that support more than 1.2 billion in-person patron visits every year, and many more virtual visits and calls.

Let us be clear: this is about stripping the American people of free speech, literacy, and public access to information.

Join us in person and online to unite against book bans and show the world that the freedom to read is an American value that must be protected.

When we launched Silent Book Club, our goal was to make this experience accessible to everyone, from small town cafés to international cities to indie bookstore owners and local libraries.

Fellow bookworms, introverts, and fans of not talking... We have some exciting news to share – Silent Book Club has officially reached more than 1,000 chapters worldwide!

Earlier this month, the host of NPR's Nerdette podcast, Greta Johnsen, dropped in on Silent Book Club at Dorothy, a lesbian bar in Chicago (previously featured in this great article). She and her producer interviewed SBC organizer Charlie Schumann and bar owner Whitney LaMora, and chatted with attendees and bartenders to hear what people thought of Silent Book Club.

It's a fantastic listen, highly recommend. The story aired on WBEZ Chicago and you can find the recording online (the SBC feature starts at 15:15), but we've transcribed it here if you don't have a podcast player handy. 

A note from the founders: We created Silent Book Club to be a welcoming and inclusive community for readers. As a platform, Silent Book Club offers an opportunity to create the space and experience members have when they join the group. That's a responsibility we don't take lightly.