Libraries will only exist for as long as we borrow from them. Consider it your civic duty

‘Libraries foster hope – in the power of words and in the people who write and read them.’ Photograph: Jacobs Stock Photography/Getty Images

As an author, I often have readers apologise to me when they divulge that they borrowed my book from a library. That’s when I tell them about the lending rights scheme, a federal government initiative that pays Australian authors and illustrators a commission every time their book is borrowed.

So if you’re a book borrower, don’t feel guilty. You’re tangibly supporting authors with every loan. And you’re supporting your community by using and bolstering a safe and accessible public space.