[Libs-Or] ACTION : Fwd: [District Dispatch] Call now to support library funding!

[Diedre Conkling]

The deadline has been extended to March 17.  So, if you put off calling and
now think it is too late you are wrong. ;-)  Call today or send a message
using http://capwiz.com/ala/.  Yes, I know my Congressional representative,
Rep. Schrader, has not signed but I have tried.  I hope others will as well.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jacob Roberts <jroberts at alawash.org>
Date: Tue, Mar 16, 2010 at 10:55 AM
Subject: [District Dispatch] Call now to support library funding!
To: district at ala.org


FULL POST: http://bit.ly/aYakcF
--
District Dispatch has posted a new item, 'Call now to support library
funding!'

With this being an election year and a congress that has spent a LOT of
money
on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and other jobs-related bills,
the
political climate in Washington is tougher today than it has been in the
past.
Many members of congress are afraid to sign-on to any letter that is asking
for
an increase of spending, regardless of the program, because many do not want
to
be labeled as contributing to the national deficit more than they already
have.
It is important now more than ever that you make sure that your federally
elected officials understand how important libraries are in the local
communities.

Please call your Representative in Washington TODAY and ask him/her to sign
onto two letters circulating around Congress. The deadline has been extended
to
March 17, and it is critically import that they sign-on to this letter in
the
next twenty-four hours.

LSTA
Congress is currently busy drafting up the federal budget for fiscal year
2011.
It has never been more important than now that Congress fully funds the
Library
Services and Technology Act (LSTA), the only annual source for federal
funding
to libraries.  As Congress writes next year's budget they need to understand
that dollars from the state and local levels are at an all time low and
libraries can not continue to do their important work with out this funding.

There is a letter circulating around the House of Representatives urging the
Appropriations Committee to include $300 million in funding through LSTA in
the
FY2011 budget. Please contact your representative's office and tell them
about
work your library does in the community. It is always a good idea to stress
what programs and resources your library provide to help build the local
economy, help kids with their homework, and so much more. After you have
explained how libraries are an incredibly valuable investment, please ask
your
representative to sign onto the "Dear Colleague" letter supporting LSTA.

School Libraries
In his FY2011 budget, President Obama consolidated Improving Literacy
Through
School Libraries with five other literacy programs. This would mean that
school
libraries will have to directly compete with other programs to receive
federal
dollars under the President's plan. However, Congress is busy drafting up
their
own budget for FY2011 right now, and there is no word yet if they will go
along
with President Obama's recommendation of consolidation. Congress needs to
hear
from their constituents NOW about the important role that school libraries
play
in today's schools.

Right now there is a letter circulating around the House of Representatives
urging the Appropriations Committee to specifically appropriate $100 million
for Improving Literacy Through School Libraries. This amount means that this
program will be available to every state, rather than the current
competitive
grant program. Please contact your representative's office explaining to
them
how important having a school library can be in a child's education. Please
ask
them to sign on to the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries "Dear
Colleague"
by customizing the letter below.

It is of the utmost importance that you contact your Representative today
and
urge them to sign on to these letters! We need to keep the pressure on our
elected officials until the deadline for signatures on these critical
letters
expires. Grijalva and Ehlers plan to send the letter on Wednesday, March 17,
so
time is of the essence.

To take action, please take the following steps:

        Please go to http://capwiz.com/ala/ or click on the "Take Action!"
button in the upper right hand corner of this e-mail.
        Customize the sample letter as you see fit - remember, a personal
story on how your library uses LSTA and ILTSL funding to benefit their
constituents is VERY effective.
        Enter your contact information.
        Press Send.
        If you would prefer to telephone your representative, please call
the
Capitol switchboard at 202.224.3121 and ask for your representative. The
switchboard will transfer you to their office. If you need to locate your
members of Congress, go to http://capwiz.com/ala/.

UPDATE:

These members have currently signed onto the Dear Colleagues:

LSTA:
Klein
Castor
Lewis, John
McGovern
Pingree
Holt
Grijalva
Maffei
Van Hollen
Michaud
Ehlers
Wu
Oberstar
Hinchey
Ross
McDermott
Baldwin
Scott, Bobby
Fattah

ILTSL:
Carson
Pingree
Holt
Grijalva
Davis
Maffei
Van Hollen
Michaud
Ehlers
Wu
Oberstar
Hinchey
Ross
McDermott
Pierluisi
Conyers
Baldwin
Polis

You may view the latest post at
http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=4581

You received this e-mail because you asked to be notified when new updates
are
posted.
Best regards,
Jacob Roberts
jroberts at alawash.org



-- 
Diedre Conkling
Lincoln County Library District
P.O. Box 2027
Newport, OR  97365
Work phone & fax:  541-265-3066
Work email:  diedre at beachbooks.org
Home email:  diedre08 at gmail.com
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