[Libs-Or] [Fwd: [ALA-WO:115] URGENT Action Needed: Please Contact Your Member of Congress Today]

Tue Apr 5 14:49:19 PDT 2005

============================================================
From: "ALAWASH E-MAIL" <ALAWASH at alawash.org>
Date: 2005/04/05 Tue PM 01:50:44 PDT
To: ALA Washington Office Newsline <ala-wo at ala.org>
Subject: [ALA-WO:115] URGENT Action Needed: Please Contact Your Member of Congress
	Today

ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline
Volume 14, Number 33 
April 5, 2005

In This Issue: CONTACT YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS AND ASK HIM OR HER TO SUPPORT FEDERAL FUNDING FOR AMERICA'S LIBRARIES: Deadline for signers is Friday, April 8th and we only have 36 signers so far!!

ACTION NEEDED: Please contact your Member of Congress in the House of Representatives and ask him or her to please sign the Rep. Grijalva-Rep. Simmons letter in the House that asks for increased funding for federal library programs.  PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT REP. GRIJALVA, OR REP. SIMMONS DIRECTLY.  INSTEAD, ASK YOUR REPRESENTATIVE'S STAFF TO CONTACT REP. GRIJALVA OR REP. SIMMONS STAFF TO ADD THEIR MEMBER'S SIGNATURE.  

In the House of Representatives, Representative Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Representative Robert Simmons (R-CT) are circulating a letter to their colleagues in support of increased funding for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program.  

The letter is addressed to the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee and requests that the House include President Bush's request of $221.33 million for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and $100 million for the Improving Literary Through School Libraries program for FY 2006.

The LSTA and the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries programs provide critical funding for libraries of all kinds nationwide.  Only by including $221.33 million for the LSTA and $100 million for the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program in the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill will we ensure that library patrons of all ages have sufficient access to library and information services, support recruiting and educating the next generation of librarians, and provide libraries the resources they need to improve literacy skills and academic achievement.

ALA strongly encourages members to immediately contact their representative in the House of Representatives and urge him or her to sign on to the Grijalva-Simmons letter in support of federal library programs. Last year, we had 56 Members of Congress from the House of Representatives sign up in support of America's libraries.  This year, we have only 36 Members signing on to the letter so far.  

Funding is extremely tight this year and competition is very strong among the many groups seeking federal funding for the upcoming year.  With an April 8th deadline for signatures, it is critical that ALA members contact Congress in a timely manner and let them know the importance of federal library programs.  

A similar letter will be circulated in the U.S. Senate in the near future.  

Current signers (36): Reps. Baldwin, Clay, Clever, D. Davis, S. Davis, Dingell, EHLERS, Eshoo, Etheridge, Frank, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Holt, Kildee, Lantos, Lofgren, Marshall, Matsui, McCarthy, McDermott, McGovern, MCHUGH, Moore, Oberstar, Owens, Payne, Ross, Schiff, Solis, Tauscher, Tierney, Tubbs Jones, VanHollen, Waters, Watson, Woolsey

Visit ALA's website for more information on these letters at:
<http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/WOissues/washfunding/funding.htm> 

Use ALA's Washington Office Legislative Action Center at <http://capwiz.com/ala/home> to identify and fax your Members of Congress in both the House and the Senate.  

You can also call your Member of Congress directly using the U.S. Capitol switchboard at:  (202) 225-3121.
******
ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits.

To subscribe to ALAWON, send the message: subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname] to listproc at ala.org or go to http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon.  To unsubscribe to ALAWON, send the message: unsubscribe ala-wo to listproc at ala.org. ALAWON archives at http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. 

ALA Washington Office, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Suite 403, Washington, D.C. 20004-1701; phone: 202.628.8410 or 800.941.8478 toll-free; fax: 202.628.8419; e-mail: alawash at alawash.org; Web site: http://www.ala.org/washoff.  Executive Director: Emily Sheketoff. Office of Government Relations: Lynne Bradley, Director; Carol Ashworth, Don Essex, Joshua Farrelman, Erin Haggerty, Patrice McDermott and Miriam Nisbet. Office for Information Technology Policy: Rick Weingarten, Director; Carrie Lowe, Kathy Mitchell, Carrie Russell. ALAWON Editor: Bernadette Murphy.

============================================================

Diedre Conkling

  Lincoln County Library District
  P.O. Box 2027, Newport, OR  97365
  Phone & Fax:  541-265-3066
  http://lcld.library-blogs.net/
  Work:  diedre at mail.crsn.lib.or.us
  Home:  diedrec at charter.net