[Libs-Or] Contact Senator Merkley's Office to Support Library Funding

[Jim Scheppke]

Dear Colleagues:

All of you benefit in some way from the LSTA funds that Oregon receives
every year (e.g., Gale databases, L-net, Plinkit, OSLIS, competitive
grants).

Now is the time to take action to increase LSTA funding in 2011. Contact
Caitie Whelan in Senator Merkley¹s office and ask her to have the Senator
sign the ³Dear Appropriator² letter that Senator Reed is circulating.

Senator Wyden has already signed the letter. We need Senator Merkley to do
the same. 

Please call or email Caitie Whelan in Senator Merkley¹s office. Tell her
what LSTA does for your library and why we need the modest increase that the
³Dear Appropriator² letter asks for. The letter also asks for an increase in
Federal funding for school libraries.

Tell Caitie to contact Elyse Wasch in Senator Reed¹s office who is handling
the library funding letter.

Contact Caitie today: 202-224-3753 or caitie_whelan at merkley.senate.gov

Need more details on this? Read on for the message from the American Library
Association...

Take Action!
 
The deadline for these "Dear Appropriator" to be received by the
Appropriations Committee is April 14, so it is important that you call your
senators today and ask them to sign onto a "Dear Appropriator" letter that
is circulating around the Senate. This letter will be sent to the Senate
Appropriations Committee and will be asking the committee to support the
Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and the Improving Literacy
Through School Libraries (ILTSL) program in its FY2011 budget.

BACKGROUND ON THE PROGRAMS AND WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR
 
LSTA
Congress is currently drafting the federal budget for fiscal year 2011.  It
has never been more important than now that Congress fully funds the 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 without this funding.
In this "Dear Appropriator" letter that is circulating around in the Senate,
the signatures are urging the Appropriations Committee to include $300
million in funding through LSTA in the FY2011 budget.  Please contact your
two senators' offices and tell them about the work your library does in the
state and community.  It is always a good idea to stress what programs and
resources your library provides 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 senator to
sign onto the "Dear Appropriator" letter supporting LSTA and Improving
Literacy Through School Libraries (ILTSL).

School Libraries
In his FY2011 budget request, 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
dissimilar programs to receive federal dollars under the President's plan. 
However, Congress is drafting 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 you NOW about
the important role that school libraries play in today's schools.

Right now there is a letter circulating around the Senate urging the
Appropriations Committee to specifically appropriate $100 million for the
ILTSL program.  This amount would make money available to every state,
rather than the current competitive grant program.  Please contact your two
senators' offices explaining to them how important having a school library
can be in a child's education.  Please ask them to sign on to the ILTSL and
LSTA "Dear Appropriator".

The deadline for the "Dear Appropriator" letter is April 14, so please
contact your senators today and urge them to sign on!  Also, please ask your
friends and library supporters to contact their senators as well - we need
to keep the pressure on our elected officials so these programs receive the
funding they need.




Jim Scheppke, State Librarian
Oregon State Library
250 Winter St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-378-4367
(fax) 503-585-8059
jim.b.scheppke at state.or.us

Go Green, Keep it on screen - think before you print.

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