September 17, 2025 • 28 mins
In this episode, Diosa and Mala reflect on their personal connections to libraries as third spaces, how they used library resources as children (even now as podcasters), and how these experiences tie into larger conversations around achievement gaps. They also discuss the importance of libraries as community spaces and why we need libraries now more than ever!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Happy Latino Heritage Month, Mama.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Happy Latino Heritage Month. And thank god I've hatched.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
I exist now you're reborn.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
All year, Latinos are just just like just stating in
our little eggs, just waiting for LATINX Heritage Month to
come around so you can poke our.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Little heads out and exist as full human beings.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
And what a time to be a Latino in this country.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Oh what a time indeed to be a Latin.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
To be a person of Latin American heritage. It's quite
a doozy these days.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
It's quite a doozy because I feel like we see
some real good news here and there, you know, friends,
community members having big wins in their own lives. I
think that we have our own individual excitement going on.
But then we open the curtains and look out the
window and it's like fire and brimstone.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Yeah, it's pretty wild.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
It's a good time to also consider how we preserve
our culture and resist. And I think as much as
we want to poke fun of like Latino Heritage Month,
because yes we're Latino three hundred and sixty five days,
it's a good it's a good reason to remember, commemorate,
like our history in this country. And I think that
that's that's part of the point, right, even though brands
(01:21):
try to pretend we don't exist the other eleven months
of the.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Year until it's time for our dollars.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Yes, and then give me gimme.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Or one point six trillion dollars.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Hand it over come spend and we do, and we
do every time. Take it.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Take our money. We love to give it away.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Please give it, Give it to your Give it back
to your community, y'all. Give it back instead of the corporations.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Yes, give it back to your community. Give it back
to your friends and family who have lent you money.
Give it to the people that you owe it to.
For you you buy things at a huge corporation. That's
my tip for Hispanic marriage month. Pay your debts.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Love that tip already, yo oh la. I'm the Osa
and I'm Mala. Today we are discussing a topic near
and dear to our hearts for a myriad of reasons,
and that is the funding and defunding of libraries. Now.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
I don't know if you all knew this, listeners, but
apparently public libraries can be shut down. I honestly didn't
realize that this was a thing. I thought libraries were
like the post office. They're just these immortal institutions that
are part of the fabric of the country, that are
just codified into our society, into our system for the
(02:43):
benefit of our society, that our taxes sustain and pay for.
But apparently libraries, library branches can be shut down, which
to me is shocking. I we had this revelation this
summer when we were doing a free book giveaway that
you coordinated through Lokas por Libros at Espasio eighteen thirty
(03:04):
nine in Boyle Heights. Penguin Random House reached out and said, hey,
we want to do a book giveaway for our vintage
Books imprint, and so the USA coordinated. We linked up
with our faves at Espasio eighteen thirty nine, and Myra
and Nico who run Aspasio eighteen thirty nine were so
(03:24):
kind to like, let us host this book giveaway there,
and our listeners came through and picked a number of
like amazing selections. And then Maira told us that the
Benjamin Franklin Library branch was shut down at one point.
I think now we've learned it was for repairs and renovations,
but that since it's shutting down, has not reopened, and
(03:46):
that they opened up a bungalow next to the Benjamin
Franklin Library, but that that bungalow is also at risk
of being shut down and going out of operation. So
I didn't know that this was happening, and I was
very alarmed because, like I said, I thought that the
library was just this institution that is just untouchable.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
But I guess not.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Yeah, And I mean, to my understanding, part of the
way library funding works is the more use that it gets,
the more services they're able to offer and provide the community,
the longer hours they can have, you know, from open
to close. So all of that is a factor into
(04:28):
how I think budget is allocated, in addition to all
the other ways that we know that libraries, arts culture
are not prioritized when it comes to funding at the
state and federal level.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Absolutely, and I think that we all have our own
personal relationships to the library if you are fortunate enough
to like have grown up or live near a public
library branch. I know for me, the library growing up
was a place that we would often go for like
they would do like readings, spending like the day in
the library to like beat the heat and be around books,
(05:01):
you know, as opposed to like spending the whole day
at the mall where the point is to buy things.
You spend the day at the library and pick up
some fun reads, you know. And then as a podcast
we've hosted a bunch of podcasting workshops at different LA
Public Library branches for free thanks to the LA Public
Library System. We even hosted a live show at the
(05:23):
Mark Taper Forum, which is housed in the Central Library.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Here in LA.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
So, I mean, we've also done photo shoots at the
Octavia Lab at the Central Library. And yeah, libraries are
just this huge resource. So we want to talk about
not only libraries closing, but book banning because these things
are going hand in hand in this country.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Yeah, I remember being a kid, and you know, I
did go to private Catholic school K through twelve, But
I remember when I was in the second grade being
like walked over to the library because it was very
close to the school. It was about a block away.
So we would you know, line up single file and
we would walk to the library and the librarian taught
(06:06):
us how to use the Dewey decimal system and how
to look for the book that you want. Obviously everything
was cataloged, how to find the shelf, how to find
the right row, and all of that, And to me,
that's like one of my core memories of being taught
how to use the library and how to check out
a library book. I think since then there's been incredible
(06:27):
ways that the library has in some ways quote modernized,
where they're not just to check out books. You can
check out films, you can check out DVDs. My local
library has a vinyl listening session, Oh cool, which I
think is really fantastic. You just go and you can
listen to vinyls amazing. They even teach like sewing workshops,
(06:49):
collage making workshops. So I love to see the different
programming that has evolved at the libraries where for some
people books may not feel accessible, it may not feel
like I don't want to read, this is not interesting
to me. But I can use my local library branch
to maybe study, to apply for jobs, to work, and
(07:11):
it doesn't cost anything.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
It doesn't cost anything. It's one of the few existing
third spaces. We hear a lot about third spaces online,
and there are no more third spaces. There's no more
third spaces, there's no free places for the public to
just convene. You have to go spend money somewhere. If
you want to hang out in a coffee shop, you
have to buy something. If you want to hang out
(07:34):
in them all, you probably have to buy something at
some point. Even to sit inside of Union Station, you
have to have a ticket and you have to show
it to someone or they're not going to let you sit,
you know. But a library is somewhere that you can
just go and be. And I did see this TikTok
not too long ago, and this guy was saying, this
(07:55):
creator was saying, if you want to do work, stop
going to coffee shops that have no outlets and no
Wi Fi because they don't want you to work there.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
You need to go to your local library because that's.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Where you can get your work done and work on
resumes and apply for jobs and pull the books that
you need instead of buying them, you know. So, yeah,
I feel like going to the library is kind of
a lost art.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
It is.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
And you know, you have to be a library and
you have to have a master's degree. Like it's not
just I'm going to work in my local library, like
you have to the librarians that work there like there
is an art, right, there's a science also to being
a librarian. And so the librarians and the incredible work
that they do, not to romanticize it at all, because
(08:39):
I see that a lot happening where it's it's still labor,
it's still really hard work. You know, are there doing
the best that they can with the limited resources that
they do have. And I know in our experience working
with the Alipublic Library, we worked with incredible librarians and
folks at different positions at the library that we're booking us.
And so the libraries are very important, not to just us,
(09:03):
but to society. Like we said, it's one of the
few free existing places that we have in this country.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Yeah, and I think if we take it back, like
historically in instances around the world of colonization, we hear
about the written texts and collections of written texts of
indigenous communities being burned and being destroyed, right like if
you want to really destroy a civilization, like go to
(09:33):
their halls of knowledge, go to their libraries, I mean.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
And to tie it to present day, if we consider
what's happening in Gaza and this glass to side there
the University buildings no longer exist, text and books no
longer exist, Historical documents no longer exist either. So in
that way, yes, historical and also present day, we're seeing
it happen in real time.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Yeah, and you know what so wild, Not that this
is necessarily connected, but I got a text alert from
USC the other day that there was a bomb threat
at two of the libraries, which is so random, so
random and unexpected, and you know, they told us to
stay away from the area, They did a search, the
(10:17):
threat I think was resolved. But just in the context
of this conversation, that that like alert went out and
that thing happened is just so eerie.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Right. Yeah, when we think of libraries as like, you know,
places of learning and gathering and calm, calm, they're.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Quiet, calm and quiet. That's like the whole thing.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
To also expand on this idea of book bannings and
literacy rates and how we feel these are all connected.
According to the National Literacy Institute, fifty four percent of
US adults read below the equivalent of a sixth grade level,
and sixty four percent of our country's fourth graders do
not read proficiently. So I think in the context of
(11:01):
declining media literacy, right, misinformation, disinformation. It to me is
no surprise that libraries are defunded. The pandemic also, you know,
and the way that that affected learning for children and
college students, that it's all connected to the book banning
(11:21):
and also decline of literacy rates. Yeah, and why you know,
library funding is not prioritized.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Absolutely, And you know, I think about too. On I
take the Metro to come to the studio, and on
the walk over here on Hollywood Boulevard there is like
a Scientology like reading center, because you know, Scientology has
all these programs, they have their own studio system, but
they also have this like kind of like Scholastic lean
(11:52):
to them where they offer like tutoring and reading help.
And I think that it's a sort of a way
to like lure people into the cult. Don't come for us, please,
I mean, we've talked about so many people on this podcast,
people in power. Well we haven't really talked about the
Scientologists yet. But I find that to be really insidious
(12:13):
because if you're not getting the resources you need from
your public education system, from your library system, if it's
not accessible to you, if you don't have these things
in your community. But you want to better yourself, you
want to improve you know, your literacy, you're reading. Your
chance is at a good job and a higher education.
I can see how something like that could be very enticing,
(12:36):
you know. And if you are if you have a
population that is not proficient in reading, and not just
reading to read, but for.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Understanding reading, comprehension.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
Reading comprehension, you know, I think that you have a
society that's very vulnerable to manipulation, to propaganda, to being
like duped, you know, to not reading the fine print,
to not reading the contract, to not understanding it.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Don't go anywhere. Look, amots, we'll.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Be right back, and we're back with more of our episode.
So back to the issue of libraries closing and the
fact that it is happening. It's not just the Benjamin
Franklin Library. Apparently that this is something that is going
straight to the top. So an article from americanlibrariesmagazine dot org.
(13:31):
On March fourteenth, President Trump signed an executive order calling
for the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences the IMLS,
to eliminate quote non statutory components and functions. And while
it's unclear which of the imls's functions will be determined
statutory or non statutory. IMLS staff jobs and funding for
(13:52):
library programs across the country are at risk. So I
think what's really scary about this non status toy components
and functions. I think that this can be very subjective. Absolutely,
someone can just decide this is not statutory, this is
not necessary, this is not a core function, we don't
need this, you know, and then just eliminate.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
It, absolutely, And I think that that is something that
we have been seeing with this administration is so much
of is quote subjective, you know, what they deem important
or a hoax or a fake news fake news is
on their terms. There's no like clear guideline as to
how they're determining what's important and what's not. I mean,
(14:35):
we can infer what they mean, but it's like they're
making it up as they go in some ways. And
so that is I think also to your point what
makes it very scary that, well, who's going to decide
what's important and what's not.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
Yeah, and especially in a moment where our government across
all branches is republican and the option to vote things
down or vote things through as far as the Dems
is like not really a present option. So it's kind
of like what the Republicans say goes and resistance seems
to be very difficult right now. So if there are
(15:08):
folks like what's happening with the Department of Education, if
there's folks that decide like we don't need these libraries,
you know, it might take a while, but I think
that the machine is being built to dismantle systems like
this if they so choose.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
This goes back to this past week's episode with Council
Member onisas at Anandez, where you know, she tells us
in simple terms, like all of this has been planned
out and mapped out, like there are no surprises. The
rule book has been there, Plante twenty twenty five was there,
and the defunding of libraries and deprioritizing knowledge and facts
(15:44):
and science is clearly on the chopping block.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Absolutely, it's a very scary thing, and it's something that
if these things happen, and if Dems are able to
get control back of some or all of our government institutions,
it's going to take a long time to correct and undo.
It's not going to be like, Okay, a Democrat is
elected into office. You know, next election cycle and everything's fixed.
(16:10):
It's the damage is going to be there for years
and it's going to take a lot of work to
bring things back to quote normal, to bring us to
a homeostasis.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
Don't go anywhere, look amotives, We'll.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Be right back, and we're back with more of our episode.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
So bringing it back to Boyle Heights and the Benjamin
Franklin Library. According to Boyle Heights Beat, the library is
currently looking to fill the service gap during their construction
to provide library materials, fulfill patron holds, and answer reference questions.
According to a May eighth report by the city's Bureau
(16:51):
of Engineering, library staff will determine the best times and
days for service. So it seems like there's effort to
try to fill the gap. Not the perfect solution, but
it is a solution.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
And it's not all doom and gloom. There is hope,
especially coming out of Boyle Heights. There is a mother,
Isir Rivera, who has organized around this issue of the
Benjamin Franklin Library and she started an action committee called
Friends of the Library in Boyle Heights. It's an effort
to advocate for the unique needs of three public library
(17:25):
branches serving the neighborhoods Benjamin Franklin, Malabar and Stevenson. This
from the Boyle Heights Beat. Friends of the Library groups
are nonprofit organizations that work to increase community engagement with
library services, provide volunteer support, and advocate for the financial
support of the branches that they represent. And Rivera herself
often sets up outside the closed library and talks to
(17:49):
people walking by, many of whom are unaware of the
library's closure, just like we were, even though it's been
closed for five years now, which was again shocking to hear.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
It was also shocking because we did a podcasting workshop
at Benjamin Franklin Library in roughly twenty nineteen, pre pandemic,
so we had no idea.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Yeah, yeah, and it's a great library. It's a very
great library. I'm right there on First Street, and it's
a key city service that's a lifeline for Angelino's especially
working class folks of color, and Boyle Heights deserves it
just as much as anybody else, which is what Isabel
Huado said in an interview with The Boyle Heightspeed. And
Isabel Hudado being our one of our city council people,
(18:28):
so Yeah, check out Friends of the Library, lend them
your support. I think that they're online and you can
reach out if you would like. And Iscia Ribera is
having people sign up to receive more information and volunteer,
so definitely check them out if this is an important
issue for you.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
Yeah, And Friends of the Library is not specific to
Boyle Heights. There are different chapters so if you depending
on where you live, you might have one near you.
So it's one way to get involved with additional support
of the library services that are a vital part of
our community.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Yeah. And I think is always for members of our
community who want to give back to worthwhile causes, who
want to know, like where can I donate that the
money is going to be used for something really tangible.
I think that this is a really good example of
that keeping the libraries open.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
Yeah, and thinking about how you can volunteer at your
local library. I was just talking to Fernando the other
day and I told him, you know, I think I
want to volunteer. I want to spend a couple hours
a week doing some type of volunteer and my initial
instinct is to volunteer with animals. And he was like,
absolutely not it's going to devastate you. You cannot handle it.
(19:47):
I do not support this, but I do support you volunteering.
And so in this conversation, I'm like, Okay, let me
volunteer at my local library or a local library in
our city, because we live in a vast city. And
I think just for anyone who's feeling maybe a little
disempowered or afraid, right because this is a tough conversation,
(20:08):
right when we're thinking about limiting knowledge and access to
knowledge and services, sign up for a library card. Sign
up everybody in your family for a library card. Because
even if you don't use a physical location, your library
card gets you access to a pass for to visit
the National Parks. It gets you access to libby, which
(20:29):
is an audiobook service. You get access to different news outlets.
You know that a lot of our news is behind paywalls,
you know, depending on the service, and so like the
New York Times and the LA Times, even they're behind paywalls.
Once you reach a certain amount of reading, and so
you can either get it completely free or pro rated
(20:50):
with your library card. So this is a way to
also support your local library. If you're not going to
check out books you can use it for all the
different resources that they offer.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
Absolutely. I mean even as a grad student, if I
can't find a book at the university library, I have
literally gone to the LA Public Library to get textbooks
for school. So it's a resource for anybody and everybody.
So definitely get yourself a library card. And then here
in LA they do fun like summer reading challenges, and
then you can get like a tote bag and it's
(21:20):
so fun and so cute.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
Who doesn't love a toad.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
We love a good tote I mean, come on.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
I think you can also check out the library the
mini library branches depending on where you live, like not
just your local one, but if you look beyond your
local neighborhood library branch, there are also different branches that
are doing a ton of programming and you don't need
to be a member of that specific branch to participate.
To attend this past year, earlier in the year, the
(21:47):
Central Library in Los Angeles hosted a night at the
library and it was ticketed. All the funding, all the
ticket sales went back to library services, and it was
such a cool event to be It was so nerdy, like,
let's go to the library on a Saturday night and
like drink some wine and look at all the different
(22:08):
activations that they have, and it was just such a
fun and different thing to do. And so that's also
something I encourage folks to do, Like think about maybe
your local library is a smaller library branch, but what
does your central library look like, and what kind of
programming do they offer? And is that something that you
can patronize like once a month or every other month.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
It's very cosmopolitan, it is.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Who doesn't love a library? Come on, well the Republicans
but literally them, Oh yeah, well you know, and I
think something that I've seen online. This is not my
original thought, and I don't know who to attribute this to,
but I have seen this sentiment where if we were
to be trying to create libraries now, it would be impossible.
(22:56):
It would not pass, it would not receive a funding. Yeah,
I mean, and to put it in the way you did, Mala,
Like wait a second, We're gonna create this space where
no one has to pay for and they have access
to books and film and services, and we're not charging them.
I mean, we do pay for it with our taxes, but.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
You know what I mean, Like they can stay for
as long as they can stay for as long as
they want, no matter who they are, what they look like,
or like, what they're doing there. I mean, within reason,
you do.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Have to behave there are rules, there are rules.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
No, the pitch would not land.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
The pitch wouldn't land.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
I wouldn't land.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
Yeah, I mean, And if we're thinking about in the
ways that there are certain people in this country that
reject services like this would be I mean, I guess
considered like a socialist service. Oh absolutely, And I'm like, yes,
give me more of them.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
Yes, we love socialism, we do.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
We love socialism, we do.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
Unlike knowledge books for everybody, yes, doesn't matter, doesn't matter,
are for the tax bracket you're in, and.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
For all ages. For children, there's very few institutions that
provide just as much space and resources and services to
children as to you know, adults, because children are people too. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
Absolutely, children are.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
Just tiny people, and so that there's this whole section
for them and programming for them and books for them
and music for them. It's just you don't see it everywhere.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
When thinking about you know, lack of technology, right there
is not everyone can have can afford to have a laptop,
a computer, at home and thinking about the way the
library can also serve that for certain folks, right, especially
students who need to use the library to type their paper.
(24:45):
I remember there was a period in like the sixth
grade where I would my mom would take me to
the library after school and I would like work on
my papers there and like my research projects. I don't
I remember as having a computer, but I we don't
know why we weren't using it, so I couldn't tell you,
like why we weren't using it, or maybe we didn't
have dial up internet. I'm not sure, but I do
(25:09):
remember there was a period for several weeks where I
would go and I would use the computer there and
you'd have to like pay twenty five cents to print
and type and all of that and surf the web.
And I just remember that being a core memory, and
when I think back on some of my childhood memories
(25:30):
in relation to school, like the library is there in
addition to the church, But that's like another conversation. Definitely,
the libraries, they were there. You know, they're always there
for you when you need them.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
They're very reliable. They don't go anywhere. Well now, well
now they might now they might be going somewhere. Yeah,
we spent a lot of time at the Alhambra Public
Library because I went to elementary school in Alhambra. Great
little library, very fun, cute place, and I don't know,
I just think you walk into a library and it
gives you a sense of comfort and safety. I've never
felt like a nervous or unsafe in the library, right,
(26:01):
It's like an instant calm.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
Yes, yeah, save our libraries, both save our libraries, use
the resources. The Octavia Lab is a very cool resource
that's unique to the Central Library, but there are other places.
My local library has like a little podcast studios. It's
not as intense and professionalized as the Octavia Lab. But
(26:26):
to know that a youth can go and rent a
mic and use it you know there, I think is
really fantastic. And so that's also something that we talk
about in our podcasting courses, like don't go out and
spend a lot of money on equipment. Check if your
local library has a podcast setup, because you can book
that for two hours at a time once a week,
(26:47):
and that's that's a resource that's for you.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
It's it's there for you. We do recommend that, and
if you would like to take our podcasting course. Check
us out, because we are teaching podcasting and we don't
we don't like sell equipment to people. No, and we
don't encourage people to spend a lot of money. You
can make a podcast with what you have at your fingertips,
(27:11):
which is your cell phone, which is your cell phone.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
You can do it your computer if you have one,
your local library. Being bing Bob, you got.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
A podcast done, donezo, We love.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
It all right, y'all. Well, thank you for listening to
another Capitolo of look At Radio. We'll catch you next time. Bessitos.
Look at Radio is executive produced by Vosa Fem and
Mala Munios.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
Stephanie Franco is our.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Producer, story editing by Medosa.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Creative direction by me Mala.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Look At Radio is a part of iHeartRadio's Michael Dura
podcast network.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
You can listen to look at Radio on the iHeartRadio
app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
Leave us a review and share with your prima or
share with your homegirl.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
And thank you to our local morees, to our listeners
for tuning in each and every week.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Besitos Logal Lumnia
Happy Latino Heritage Month, Mama.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Happy Latino Heritage Month. And thank god I've hatched.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
I exist now you're reborn.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
All year, Latinos are just just like just stating in
our little eggs, just waiting for LATINX Heritage Month to
come around so you can poke our.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Little heads out and exist as full human beings.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
And what a time to be a Latino in this country.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Oh what a time indeed to be a Latin.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
To be a person of Latin American heritage. It's quite
a doozy these days.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
It's quite a doozy because I feel like we see
some real good news here and there, you know, friends,
community members having big wins in their own lives. I
think that we have our own individual excitement going on.
But then we open the curtains and look out the
window and it's like fire and brimstone.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Yeah, it's pretty wild.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
It's a good time to also consider how we preserve
our culture and resist. And I think as much as
we want to poke fun of like Latino Heritage Month,
because yes we're Latino three hundred and sixty five days,
it's a good it's a good reason to remember, commemorate,
like our history in this country. And I think that
that's that's part of the point, right, even though brands
(01:21):
try to pretend we don't exist the other eleven months
of the.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Year until it's time for our dollars.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Yes, and then give me gimme.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Or one point six trillion dollars.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Hand it over come spend and we do, and we
do every time. Take it.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Take our money. We love to give it away.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Please give it, Give it to your Give it back
to your community, y'all. Give it back instead of the corporations.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Yes, give it back to your community. Give it back
to your friends and family who have lent you money.
Give it to the people that you owe it to.
For you you buy things at a huge corporation. That's
my tip for Hispanic marriage month. Pay your debts.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Love that tip already, yo oh la. I'm the Osa
and I'm Mala. Today we are discussing a topic near
and dear to our hearts for a myriad of reasons,
and that is the funding and defunding of libraries. Now.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
I don't know if you all knew this, listeners, but
apparently public libraries can be shut down. I honestly didn't
realize that this was a thing. I thought libraries were
like the post office. They're just these immortal institutions that
are part of the fabric of the country, that are
just codified into our society, into our system for the
(02:43):
benefit of our society, that our taxes sustain and pay for.
But apparently libraries, library branches can be shut down, which
to me is shocking. I we had this revelation this
summer when we were doing a free book giveaway that
you coordinated through Lokas por Libros at Espasio eighteen thirty
(03:04):
nine in Boyle Heights. Penguin Random House reached out and said, hey,
we want to do a book giveaway for our vintage
Books imprint, and so the USA coordinated. We linked up
with our faves at Espasio eighteen thirty nine, and Myra
and Nico who run Aspasio eighteen thirty nine were so
(03:24):
kind to like, let us host this book giveaway there,
and our listeners came through and picked a number of
like amazing selections. And then Maira told us that the
Benjamin Franklin Library branch was shut down at one point.
I think now we've learned it was for repairs and renovations,
but that since it's shutting down, has not reopened, and
(03:46):
that they opened up a bungalow next to the Benjamin
Franklin Library, but that that bungalow is also at risk
of being shut down and going out of operation. So
I didn't know that this was happening, and I was
very alarmed because, like I said, I thought that the
library was just this institution that is just untouchable.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
But I guess not.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Yeah, And I mean, to my understanding, part of the
way library funding works is the more use that it gets,
the more services they're able to offer and provide the community,
the longer hours they can have, you know, from open
to close. So all of that is a factor into
(04:28):
how I think budget is allocated, in addition to all
the other ways that we know that libraries, arts culture
are not prioritized when it comes to funding at the
state and federal level.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Absolutely, and I think that we all have our own
personal relationships to the library if you are fortunate enough
to like have grown up or live near a public
library branch. I know for me, the library growing up
was a place that we would often go for like
they would do like readings, spending like the day in
the library to like beat the heat and be around books,
(05:01):
you know, as opposed to like spending the whole day
at the mall where the point is to buy things.
You spend the day at the library and pick up
some fun reads, you know. And then as a podcast
we've hosted a bunch of podcasting workshops at different LA
Public Library branches for free thanks to the LA Public
Library System. We even hosted a live show at the
(05:23):
Mark Taper Forum, which is housed in the Central Library.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Here in LA.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
So, I mean, we've also done photo shoots at the
Octavia Lab at the Central Library. And yeah, libraries are
just this huge resource. So we want to talk about
not only libraries closing, but book banning because these things
are going hand in hand in this country.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Yeah, I remember being a kid, and you know, I
did go to private Catholic school K through twelve, But
I remember when I was in the second grade being
like walked over to the library because it was very
close to the school. It was about a block away.
So we would you know, line up single file and
we would walk to the library and the librarian taught
(06:06):
us how to use the Dewey decimal system and how
to look for the book that you want. Obviously everything
was cataloged, how to find the shelf, how to find
the right row, and all of that, And to me,
that's like one of my core memories of being taught
how to use the library and how to check out
a library book. I think since then there's been incredible
(06:27):
ways that the library has in some ways quote modernized,
where they're not just to check out books. You can
check out films, you can check out DVDs. My local
library has a vinyl listening session, Oh cool, which I
think is really fantastic. You just go and you can
listen to vinyls amazing. They even teach like sewing workshops,
(06:49):
collage making workshops. So I love to see the different
programming that has evolved at the libraries where for some
people books may not feel accessible, it may not feel
like I don't want to read, this is not interesting
to me. But I can use my local library branch
to maybe study, to apply for jobs, to work, and
(07:11):
it doesn't cost anything.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
It doesn't cost anything. It's one of the few existing
third spaces. We hear a lot about third spaces online,
and there are no more third spaces. There's no more
third spaces, there's no free places for the public to
just convene. You have to go spend money somewhere. If
you want to hang out in a coffee shop, you
have to buy something. If you want to hang out
(07:34):
in them all, you probably have to buy something at
some point. Even to sit inside of Union Station, you
have to have a ticket and you have to show
it to someone or they're not going to let you sit,
you know. But a library is somewhere that you can
just go and be. And I did see this TikTok
not too long ago, and this guy was saying, this
(07:55):
creator was saying, if you want to do work, stop
going to coffee shops that have no outlets and no
Wi Fi because they don't want you to work there.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
You need to go to your local library because that's.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Where you can get your work done and work on
resumes and apply for jobs and pull the books that
you need instead of buying them, you know. So, yeah,
I feel like going to the library is kind of
a lost art.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
It is.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
And you know, you have to be a library and
you have to have a master's degree. Like it's not
just I'm going to work in my local library, like
you have to the librarians that work there like there
is an art, right, there's a science also to being
a librarian. And so the librarians and the incredible work
that they do, not to romanticize it at all, because
(08:39):
I see that a lot happening where it's it's still labor,
it's still really hard work. You know, are there doing
the best that they can with the limited resources that
they do have. And I know in our experience working
with the Alipublic Library, we worked with incredible librarians and
folks at different positions at the library that we're booking us.
And so the libraries are very important, not to just us,
(09:03):
but to society. Like we said, it's one of the
few free existing places that we have in this country.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Yeah, and I think if we take it back, like
historically in instances around the world of colonization, we hear
about the written texts and collections of written texts of
indigenous communities being burned and being destroyed, right like if
you want to really destroy a civilization, like go to
(09:33):
their halls of knowledge, go to their libraries, I mean.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
And to tie it to present day, if we consider
what's happening in Gaza and this glass to side there
the University buildings no longer exist, text and books no
longer exist, Historical documents no longer exist either. So in
that way, yes, historical and also present day, we're seeing
it happen in real time.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Yeah, and you know what so wild, Not that this
is necessarily connected, but I got a text alert from
USC the other day that there was a bomb threat
at two of the libraries, which is so random, so
random and unexpected, and you know, they told us to
stay away from the area, They did a search, the
(10:17):
threat I think was resolved. But just in the context
of this conversation, that that like alert went out and
that thing happened is just so eerie.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Right. Yeah, when we think of libraries as like, you know,
places of learning and gathering and calm, calm, they're.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Quiet, calm and quiet. That's like the whole thing.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
To also expand on this idea of book bannings and
literacy rates and how we feel these are all connected.
According to the National Literacy Institute, fifty four percent of
US adults read below the equivalent of a sixth grade level,
and sixty four percent of our country's fourth graders do
not read proficiently. So I think in the context of
(11:01):
declining media literacy, right, misinformation, disinformation. It to me is
no surprise that libraries are defunded. The pandemic also, you know,
and the way that that affected learning for children and
college students, that it's all connected to the book banning
(11:21):
and also decline of literacy rates. Yeah, and why you know,
library funding is not prioritized.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Absolutely, And you know, I think about too. On I
take the Metro to come to the studio, and on
the walk over here on Hollywood Boulevard there is like
a Scientology like reading center, because you know, Scientology has
all these programs, they have their own studio system, but
they also have this like kind of like Scholastic lean
(11:52):
to them where they offer like tutoring and reading help.
And I think that it's a sort of a way
to like lure people into the cult. Don't come for us, please,
I mean, we've talked about so many people on this podcast,
people in power. Well we haven't really talked about the
Scientologists yet. But I find that to be really insidious
(12:13):
because if you're not getting the resources you need from
your public education system, from your library system, if it's
not accessible to you, if you don't have these things
in your community. But you want to better yourself, you
want to improve you know, your literacy, you're reading. Your
chance is at a good job and a higher education.
I can see how something like that could be very enticing,
(12:36):
you know. And if you are if you have a
population that is not proficient in reading, and not just
reading to read, but for.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Understanding reading, comprehension.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
Reading comprehension, you know, I think that you have a
society that's very vulnerable to manipulation, to propaganda, to being
like duped, you know, to not reading the fine print,
to not reading the contract, to not understanding it.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Don't go anywhere. Look, amots, we'll.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Be right back, and we're back with more of our episode.
So back to the issue of libraries closing and the
fact that it is happening. It's not just the Benjamin
Franklin Library. Apparently that this is something that is going
straight to the top. So an article from americanlibrariesmagazine dot org.
(13:31):
On March fourteenth, President Trump signed an executive order calling
for the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences the IMLS,
to eliminate quote non statutory components and functions. And while
it's unclear which of the imls's functions will be determined
statutory or non statutory. IMLS staff jobs and funding for
(13:52):
library programs across the country are at risk. So I
think what's really scary about this non status toy components
and functions. I think that this can be very subjective. Absolutely,
someone can just decide this is not statutory, this is
not necessary, this is not a core function, we don't
need this, you know, and then just eliminate.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
It, absolutely, And I think that that is something that
we have been seeing with this administration is so much
of is quote subjective, you know, what they deem important
or a hoax or a fake news fake news is
on their terms. There's no like clear guideline as to
how they're determining what's important and what's not. I mean,
(14:35):
we can infer what they mean, but it's like they're
making it up as they go in some ways. And
so that is I think also to your point what
makes it very scary that, well, who's going to decide
what's important and what's not.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
Yeah, and especially in a moment where our government across
all branches is republican and the option to vote things
down or vote things through as far as the Dems
is like not really a present option. So it's kind
of like what the Republicans say goes and resistance seems
to be very difficult right now. So if there are
(15:08):
folks like what's happening with the Department of Education, if
there's folks that decide like we don't need these libraries,
you know, it might take a while, but I think
that the machine is being built to dismantle systems like
this if they so choose.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
This goes back to this past week's episode with Council
Member onisas at Anandez, where you know, she tells us
in simple terms, like all of this has been planned
out and mapped out, like there are no surprises. The
rule book has been there, Plante twenty twenty five was there,
and the defunding of libraries and deprioritizing knowledge and facts
(15:44):
and science is clearly on the chopping block.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Absolutely, it's a very scary thing, and it's something that
if these things happen, and if Dems are able to
get control back of some or all of our government institutions,
it's going to take a long time to correct and undo.
It's not going to be like, Okay, a Democrat is
elected into office. You know, next election cycle and everything's fixed.
(16:10):
It's the damage is going to be there for years
and it's going to take a lot of work to
bring things back to quote normal, to bring us to
a homeostasis.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
Don't go anywhere, look amotives, We'll.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Be right back, and we're back with more of our episode.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
So bringing it back to Boyle Heights and the Benjamin
Franklin Library. According to Boyle Heights Beat, the library is
currently looking to fill the service gap during their construction
to provide library materials, fulfill patron holds, and answer reference questions.
According to a May eighth report by the city's Bureau
(16:51):
of Engineering, library staff will determine the best times and
days for service. So it seems like there's effort to
try to fill the gap. Not the perfect solution, but
it is a solution.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
And it's not all doom and gloom. There is hope,
especially coming out of Boyle Heights. There is a mother,
Isir Rivera, who has organized around this issue of the
Benjamin Franklin Library and she started an action committee called
Friends of the Library in Boyle Heights. It's an effort
to advocate for the unique needs of three public library
(17:25):
branches serving the neighborhoods Benjamin Franklin, Malabar and Stevenson. This
from the Boyle Heights Beat. Friends of the Library groups
are nonprofit organizations that work to increase community engagement with
library services, provide volunteer support, and advocate for the financial
support of the branches that they represent. And Rivera herself
often sets up outside the closed library and talks to
(17:49):
people walking by, many of whom are unaware of the
library's closure, just like we were, even though it's been
closed for five years now, which was again shocking to hear.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
It was also shocking because we did a podcasting workshop
at Benjamin Franklin Library in roughly twenty nineteen, pre pandemic,
so we had no idea.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Yeah, yeah, and it's a great library. It's a very
great library. I'm right there on First Street, and it's
a key city service that's a lifeline for Angelino's especially
working class folks of color, and Boyle Heights deserves it
just as much as anybody else, which is what Isabel
Huado said in an interview with The Boyle Heightspeed. And
Isabel Hudado being our one of our city council people,
(18:28):
so Yeah, check out Friends of the Library, lend them
your support. I think that they're online and you can
reach out if you would like. And Iscia Ribera is
having people sign up to receive more information and volunteer,
so definitely check them out if this is an important
issue for you.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
Yeah, And Friends of the Library is not specific to
Boyle Heights. There are different chapters so if you depending
on where you live, you might have one near you.
So it's one way to get involved with additional support
of the library services that are a vital part of
our community.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Yeah. And I think is always for members of our
community who want to give back to worthwhile causes, who
want to know, like where can I donate that the
money is going to be used for something really tangible.
I think that this is a really good example of
that keeping the libraries open.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
Yeah, and thinking about how you can volunteer at your
local library. I was just talking to Fernando the other
day and I told him, you know, I think I
want to volunteer. I want to spend a couple hours
a week doing some type of volunteer and my initial
instinct is to volunteer with animals. And he was like,
absolutely not it's going to devastate you. You cannot handle it.
(19:47):
I do not support this, but I do support you volunteering.
And so in this conversation, I'm like, Okay, let me
volunteer at my local library or a local library in
our city, because we live in a vast city. And
I think just for anyone who's feeling maybe a little
disempowered or afraid, right because this is a tough conversation,
(20:08):
right when we're thinking about limiting knowledge and access to
knowledge and services, sign up for a library card. Sign
up everybody in your family for a library card. Because
even if you don't use a physical location, your library
card gets you access to a pass for to visit
the National Parks. It gets you access to libby, which
(20:29):
is an audiobook service. You get access to different news outlets.
You know that a lot of our news is behind paywalls,
you know, depending on the service, and so like the
New York Times and the LA Times, even they're behind paywalls.
Once you reach a certain amount of reading, and so
you can either get it completely free or pro rated
(20:50):
with your library card. So this is a way to
also support your local library. If you're not going to
check out books you can use it for all the
different resources that they offer.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
Absolutely. I mean even as a grad student, if I
can't find a book at the university library, I have
literally gone to the LA Public Library to get textbooks
for school. So it's a resource for anybody and everybody.
So definitely get yourself a library card. And then here
in LA they do fun like summer reading challenges, and
then you can get like a tote bag and it's
(21:20):
so fun and so cute.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
Who doesn't love a toad.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
We love a good tote I mean, come on.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
I think you can also check out the library the
mini library branches depending on where you live, like not
just your local one, but if you look beyond your
local neighborhood library branch, there are also different branches that
are doing a ton of programming and you don't need
to be a member of that specific branch to participate.
To attend this past year, earlier in the year, the
(21:47):
Central Library in Los Angeles hosted a night at the
library and it was ticketed. All the funding, all the
ticket sales went back to library services, and it was
such a cool event to be It was so nerdy, like,
let's go to the library on a Saturday night and
like drink some wine and look at all the different
(22:08):
activations that they have, and it was just such a
fun and different thing to do. And so that's also
something I encourage folks to do, Like think about maybe
your local library is a smaller library branch, but what
does your central library look like, and what kind of
programming do they offer? And is that something that you
can patronize like once a month or every other month.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
It's very cosmopolitan, it is.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Who doesn't love a library? Come on, well the Republicans
but literally them, Oh yeah, well you know, and I
think something that I've seen online. This is not my
original thought, and I don't know who to attribute this to,
but I have seen this sentiment where if we were
to be trying to create libraries now, it would be impossible.
(22:56):
It would not pass, it would not receive a funding. Yeah,
I mean, and to put it in the way you did, Mala,
Like wait a second, We're gonna create this space where
no one has to pay for and they have access
to books and film and services, and we're not charging them.
I mean, we do pay for it with our taxes, but.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
You know what I mean, Like they can stay for
as long as they can stay for as long as
they want, no matter who they are, what they look like,
or like, what they're doing there. I mean, within reason,
you do.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Have to behave there are rules, there are rules.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
No, the pitch would not land.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
The pitch wouldn't land.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
I wouldn't land.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
Yeah, I mean, And if we're thinking about in the
ways that there are certain people in this country that
reject services like this would be I mean, I guess
considered like a socialist service. Oh absolutely, And I'm like, yes,
give me more of them.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
Yes, we love socialism, we do.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
We love socialism, we do.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
Unlike knowledge books for everybody, yes, doesn't matter, doesn't matter,
are for the tax bracket you're in, and.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
For all ages. For children, there's very few institutions that
provide just as much space and resources and services to
children as to you know, adults, because children are people too. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
Absolutely, children are.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
Just tiny people, and so that there's this whole section
for them and programming for them and books for them
and music for them. It's just you don't see it everywhere.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
When thinking about you know, lack of technology, right there
is not everyone can have can afford to have a laptop,
a computer, at home and thinking about the way the
library can also serve that for certain folks, right, especially
students who need to use the library to type their paper.
(24:45):
I remember there was a period in like the sixth
grade where I would my mom would take me to
the library after school and I would like work on
my papers there and like my research projects. I don't
I remember as having a computer, but I we don't
know why we weren't using it, so I couldn't tell you,
like why we weren't using it, or maybe we didn't
have dial up internet. I'm not sure, but I do
(25:09):
remember there was a period for several weeks where I
would go and I would use the computer there and
you'd have to like pay twenty five cents to print
and type and all of that and surf the web.
And I just remember that being a core memory, and
when I think back on some of my childhood memories
(25:30):
in relation to school, like the library is there in
addition to the church, But that's like another conversation. Definitely,
the libraries, they were there. You know, they're always there
for you when you need them.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
They're very reliable. They don't go anywhere. Well now, well
now they might now they might be going somewhere. Yeah,
we spent a lot of time at the Alhambra Public
Library because I went to elementary school in Alhambra. Great
little library, very fun, cute place, and I don't know,
I just think you walk into a library and it
gives you a sense of comfort and safety. I've never
felt like a nervous or unsafe in the library, right,
(26:01):
It's like an instant calm.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
Yes, yeah, save our libraries, both save our libraries, use
the resources. The Octavia Lab is a very cool resource
that's unique to the Central Library, but there are other places.
My local library has like a little podcast studios. It's
not as intense and professionalized as the Octavia Lab. But
(26:26):
to know that a youth can go and rent a
mic and use it you know there, I think is
really fantastic. And so that's also something that we talk
about in our podcasting courses, like don't go out and
spend a lot of money on equipment. Check if your
local library has a podcast setup, because you can book
that for two hours at a time once a week,
(26:47):
and that's that's a resource that's for you.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
It's it's there for you. We do recommend that, and
if you would like to take our podcasting course. Check
us out, because we are teaching podcasting and we don't
we don't like sell equipment to people. No, and we
don't encourage people to spend a lot of money. You
can make a podcast with what you have at your fingertips,
(27:11):
which is your cell phone, which is your cell phone.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
You can do it your computer if you have one,
your local library. Being bing Bob, you got.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
A podcast done, donezo, We love.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
It all right, y'all. Well, thank you for listening to
another Capitolo of look At Radio. We'll catch you next time. Bessitos.
Look at Radio is executive produced by Vosa Fem and
Mala Munios.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
Stephanie Franco is our.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Producer, story editing by Medosa.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Creative direction by me Mala.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Look At Radio is a part of iHeartRadio's Michael Dura
podcast network.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
You can listen to look at Radio on the iHeartRadio
app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
Leave us a review and share with your prima or
share with your homegirl.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
And thank you to our local morees, to our listeners
for tuning in each and every week.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Besitos Logal Lumnia
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