This blog post was written by Local 1215 member Tim Hogan.
The Mayor’s Office is hosting a series of 5 budget roundtables this month, and library patrons and workers should make our voices heard. We are asking AFSCME Local 1215 members and supporters to attend one of these sessions. Let the Mayor’s Office know that funding and staffing the library is a priority for Chicagoans. The remaining sessions are:
Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 6:00 p.m.
Kennedy-King College
740 W. 63rd St.
Wednesday, June 24, 2026 at 6:00 p.m
Curie High School
4959 S. Archer Ave
(in Spanish)
Thursday, June 25, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Harold Washington Winter Garden
400 S. State St.
(Ages 14-24)
The last roundtable is a special Youth Engagement session for ages 14-24 at Harold Washington Library. We encourage CPL workers, patrons, and friends 24 or younger to attend this session.
If you can’t attend the roundtables, skip to the budget survey portion of this blog post.
attendance tips from Local 1215 members
The sessions have two basic parts. They start with a budget game in which participants allocate a $100 budget to various city services. You could push for a few dollars to be allocated to the Chicago Public Library (CPL) – $2 or 2% of the city budget has a nice ring to it!
The second part consists of roundtable discussions that touch on various topics. A Local 1215 Member who attended one of the sessions says these discussions, “may be times to share how CPL is affected by other city services or lack thereof.” For example, several libraries need entirely new buildings. However, if the Department of Buildings is understaffed that can drastically slow down the process.
According to another Local 1215 Member, CPL was hardly mentioned at the Malcolm X session, so you may need to make your own space to advocate for library funding and staffing. “Don’t be afraid to confidently mention how essential we are,” they said.
Many of the roundtables’ sessions cover broad topics, like housing, mental health, arts and culture, or community safety. Connecting the need for library funding and staffing to other important city issues is a great way to share our message.
Does your branch have ongoing patron safety issues? Do you service patrons with mental health struggles? Is your library a vital hub for arts and culture in your neighborhood? For example, right now everyone is deeply affected by the truck driver shortage, so you could discuss crucial material you’ve requested that is taking too long to arrive.
Talk about your experiences at the library and demonstrate that we are an essential part of the city. Need some inspiration? Read our understaffing stories.
Can’t make it to a session? Fill out the survey online!
The Budget Engagement Survey distributed during the sessions is also available online. CPL doesn’t have a dedicated question, but Question 21 is a user choice section where you can advocate for proper funding and staffing for CPL.
A sample response here could be:
“We fought together to restore funding for Chicago Public Library in 2026, but they still have not hired the positions we desperately need.”
The sessions start with a resource fair before discussions begin, so you can arrive early if you’d like, but this doesn’t have to be difficult. These budget events can be an enjoyable way for us to get to know more of our patrons in our shared roles as Chicagoans. Try to have fun while advocating for the library. And of course, you don’t have to go alone. Tell your patrons, family and friends to go with you!