LIBRARIES. It’s all about exploring them, using them, and getting the books we want to read into them. Even in lockdown.

Libraries are magical places. They are filled with other worlds; books that take us to places in our imagination when we can’t travel the way we used to; books that help us change our mood when we’re needing a lift; books full of facts and information that challenge us to see the world differently, to contemplate mysteries beyond the four walls of our lockdown abodes.

And the thing about libraries, is that the worlds they house are totally free. It doesn’t matter who you are, or how much money you earn, if you join your local library, you have a myriad of worlds and escape routes at your finger tips. The benefits to individuals are well known and obvious, but read on to discover how you can make even better use of your library and give the arts community a boost at the same time.

Last month I was extraordinarily fortunate. Why? Because I got to launch my latest book at a real live event. There was nothing virtual about it.

There was a stage. There were real people. There were magicians performing actual tricks right in front of us. There were physical books for sale. There was even applause and simultaneous chatter which didn’t glitch a zoom meeting or overload the Wi-Fi. And no one was booted out of the room, either virtually or in reality. I even had one of my closest friends fly over from Adelaide for the occasion. On an actual aeroplane. Across a state border …

Marlow Brown: Magician in the Making was properly launched at the 2021 Melbourne Magic Festival.

I was lucky.

July 10th in Melbourne happened to fall a couple of weeks after lockdown 4, and a few days before lockdown 5. (And let’s not even talk about lockdown 6 during which I’m writing this. At home, obviously.)

An enormous number of book creators in Australia over the last eighteen months have not been so fortunate. Most launches have either been cancelled or had to move online. Author talks and workshops in schools and libraries have been cancelled. Book Week plans have been scuppered. Question marks hang over Science Week events.

It’s the same for all in the creative arts. Snap lockdowns and all the uncertainty that goes with them mean that performances, shows, talks and launches all get cancelled.

And income stops flowing.

You might be left wondering if there’s anything you can do to help. You’d be forgiven for thinking there’s not. It’s easy to think we’re in the lap of the gods at times like these — or at the mercy of the pandemic.

But there most certainly is something you can do to support book creators, at least.

Unless you are an author, illustrator or publisher yourself, you may not be aware that a portion of a book creator’s income comes from having their books in Australian public and educational lending libraries. Each year a government body — the Public Lending Rights Committee — calculates the number of books a creator has in libraries across Australia based on data provided by the libraries. A payment is then made to creators according to how many of their books are available for free multiple use, to compensate for the loss of income from these books.

It’s a fantastic system, but it only works if there are enough books in libraries in the first place. (If you’re a new author reading this, make sure you register your books or they won’t be counted.)

There have to be at least fifty copies of a book in libraries across Australia within the first two years of publication for a creator to qualify for payment and for the book to continue to be counted in subsequent years.

So, timing matters. And this is where your help comes in.

Many books published during the pandemic have flown under the radar. They just haven’t received the publicity they normally would. This is particularly the case for books published by small publishing houses or that are self-published, or books by new or emerging authors who aren’t yet well known.

The solution is simple: creators need your help in getting their books onto library shelves. And when this happens, everyone is the richer for it — authors, libraries and you, the reader.

Did you know that anyone can request a book at their local public library? All you need to do is hop online, search your library catalogue for the book, and if it’s not listed, fill out the ‘request-a-book’ form. (It might not be called this in all libraries, but it will be something similar.) If you’re lucky enough not to be locked down, you can make the request in person.

Unless a book is out of print, most of the time these requests will be met. (For more about how librarians choose which books appear on their shelves, listen to this excellent talk: Meet the Librarians.)

Remember, the more books in libraries, the more likely it is that an author or illustrator will be paid. And the best thing is, you don’t even need to buy the book yourself.

While many of you might be thinking that’s not the spirit, it really is. Everyone’s been hit by the pandemic in some way or another. For some it’s financial, for others it’s been an emotional hit. Either way, putting in a book request at your local (or school) library won’t add to your financial burden, and may in fact help you feel better about things.

Because that’s what books and stories do. They help us make sense of the world.

I like to think of it as a double gift. One to me, the requester (and subsequent borrower) of the book, and one to the book creators I’m supporting. Of course, there’s nothing to stop me buying a copy of the book later too. Many a perfect birthday gift has come about this way!

As an author myself, of course, I’d love it if you were to request my books at your local libraries. Both are still within that two year sweet spot I mentioned. Check the catalogue first as they may already be there, but if not, I would be massively grateful if you could make a book request for me.

But don’t stop there. If you know of anyone else whose books have been published over the last couple of years, do the same for them too. (You don’t need to know them personally, of course!)

So, on behalf of all of us who create books, a huge, heartfelt thanks for helping. May the results bring you hours of reading happiness, and many new worlds to explore.

Now, go forth and request the books you’d like to see on your library’s shelves!

Kesta

Ps In case you’re wondering, you can still borrow books from libraries during lockdown. Most use the click-and-collect system. Don’t let lockdown stop you borrowing!

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