[Libs-Or] ACTION: Fwd: [fllan] Action Alert: Jobs for Main Street Act

Tue Feb 2 13:35:54 PST 2010

I sent information out to you about this bill yesterday.  I also wrote to
the ALA Washington Office about the situation in Oregon.  I am putting this
correspondence at the end of this message.  There is information about how
we in Oregon might want to approach talking with Senators Wyden and Merkely
about this bill.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Kristin K. Murphy <kmurphy at alawash.org>
Date: Tue, Feb 2, 2010 at 1:27 PM
Subject: [fllan] Action Alert: Jobs for Main Street Act
To: fllan at ala.org
Cc: "Jeffrey P. Kratz" <jkratz at alawash.org>

 Dear library advocates,

The ALA Office of Government Relations (OGR) is asking that all state
chapters mobilize library advocates in each state to contact their U.S.
Senators regarding the *Jobs for Main Street Act*, also known as the “Jobs
Bill.”

Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) announced today that he and Senator Richard
Durbin will be introducing the senate version of Jobs for Main Street Act or
simply jobs bill.  This bill will be $80 billion aimed at getting Americans
back to work.  Sources on Capitol Hill have indicated that libraries are not
included in this bill, but it does include $18 billion to hire and retain
teachers, $500 million for hiring police and another $500 million for hiring
firefighters.  Because this bill has not been introduced, there is no bill
number yet.

The House in December passed their version of the Jobs for Main Street Act.

Ask your advocates to call and email their senators’ offices; Call the U.S.
Capital switchboard ASAP at 202.224.3121.  For email addresses and other
contact information go to:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

The message to advocates – as soon as possible is:

ALA has reports from Congressional offices that they hear from teachers,
police and firefighters every day and almost nothing from the library
community.  Libraries are as essential as schools and public safety and help
the economy by helping people find jobs.  Yet library jobs are being cut –
and, now, not included in this jobs bill.  It is vitally important that
librarians be as vocal as these other public employees. The reason they are
getting funding in this piece of legislation is because they are calling
their congressional offices more often and in higher numbers than we are.

Your grassroots efforts are critically important.  The omission of
librarians in the jobs bill is in addition to the troubling news this week
that President Obama’s budget proposal freezes the Library Services and
Technology Act (LSTA) and consolidates the school library program with
literacy programs in the Department of Education.  These cuts will lead to a
loss of jobs and a loss of services that our communities cannot afford to be
without.

Please call both of your U.S. Senators to ask each of them to request that
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), and
Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND),  include the hiring and retaining of librarians
in the $18 billion as well.

This bill could come up at any moment and it is critically important that
you contact your Senators’ offices *immediately* and tell them to push the
above Senate leaders to include librarians in the jobs bill.  Don’t just
call once – keep calling until we succeed.  Make sure to tell your senators
what your library is doing to help people find jobs.

We cannot let this legislation pass without the inclusion of library
employees.  We have no chance of getting into this legislation without your
calls and emails – and the support of all senators!!

Please act now.

Sincerely,

Kristin Murphy

ALA Washington Office

*URGENT MESSAGE TO LIBRARY ADVOCATES: *

Please call both of your U.S. Senators to ask each of them to request that
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), and
Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND),  include the hiring and retaining of librarians
in the $18 billion “Jobs Bill” as well.

BACKGROUND FOR “JOBS FOR MAIN STREET ACT”

1. Libraries play a key role in getting America back to work again.
Nationwide, the library is the only source of no-fee Internet access for 71
percent of Americans. With more and more job applications only being
accepted online, the public library is becoming the center of most
American’s job searches.

2. State Library Agencies reported in November 2009 that 77 percent of
states cut funds that support local public libraries, which has meant
layoffs, staff furloughs, and forced retirements. This has caused a 75
percent cut in services to the public including canceled statewide databases
used for job searching, homework help, and cuts in 24/7 reference, which are
used by small businesses and students.

3.  Our proposal to be a part of the $20.5 billion program to create jobs
that provide public services would not add any additional funding, but would
give libraries a specific amount to draw on.

4. The money would be used for library jobs that are focused on assisting
patrons with getting back to work – thereby having the impact of assisting
literally millions of Americans find employment. None of these funds would
be used for facilities or equipment.

5. These funds would be distributed in a clear, concise, affirmative manner.
Funds would be distributed to states using a formula through IMLS based 50
percent on population, and 50 percent on relative unemployment (similar to
the Department of Labor’s Dislocated Worker Program).

6. The Chief State Library Officer in each state would be responsible for
distributing funds to local public libraries based on their local needs.

7. A minimum amount of funding per library could offer one library staff job
per building based upon need and a maximum of five full-time staff.

9. Funds would be limited to hiring back staff released due to budget cuts,
recruiting new staff and/or expanding staff services around job searching
and employment skills training.

Call the U.S. Capital switchboard ASAP at 202.224.3121.  For email addresses
and other contact information go to:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

-----------------------------

 fromLynne E. Bradley <lbradley at alawash.org>
toDiedre Conkling <diedre08 at gmail.com>

cc"Kristin K. Murphy" <kmurphy at alawash.org>

dateTue, Feb 2, 2010 at 12:51 PM
subjectRE: Jobs bill
mailed-byalawash.org

hide details 12:51 PM (39 minutes ago)

Diedre,
Thank you for doing this outreach  – and thanks for sharing the feedback and
this information.  Certainly community colleges will be getting funding from
a couple of these programs.  Obama keeps mentioning them every single day as
he is going around the country.  If some of your folks do decide to
communicate with Wyden and Merkely the message could be something like:

“Public librarians are lucky  in Oregon where we have not experienced the
same drastic cuts that public libraries in so many other states have
sustained.  All kinds of libraries are helping people find jobs, apply for
positions and develop new career skills as well as resumes.   We ask you to
support our colleagues in other states and seek to include “librarians” in
the Senate “jobs bill” along with the other public servants such as teachers
and firefighters.

We are also glad to see President Obama’s commitment to community colleges.
We hope that the “jobs bill” and other initiatives will recognize the needs
of our academic libraries in Oregon and across the country that have been
impacted by serious cuts.

We know of your long time support for libraries – and hope that you will
support any of the alternatives that will help academic librarians in Oregon
and our colleagues across the country.”

So let’s stay in touch – and we’ll be sending out more updates as things
move along.
Lynne

From: Diedre Conkling [mailto:diedre08 at gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2010 3:24 PM
To: Lynne E. Bradley
Cc: Kristin K. Murphy
Subject: Jobs bill
- Hide quoted text -

Yesterday I was at the Oregon Library Association Legislative Committee
meeting when the message about the Jobs Bill came out so I discussed it with
the group.

This is a hard one for us to push with our Congressional representatives,
not because we are not concerned for librarians around the country but
because we don't seem to be in the same situation.  According to the State
Librarian, in public libraries the total number of librarians employed has
not decreased.  There are some libraries here and there that have had
decreases because of their city or county's funding but there is not net
loss or net gain.  We have had several areas, one very large area, where
library districts have been formed so they are no longer a part of city or
county general funds but have their own property taxes.  And, property taxes
have not been substancially hit in most areas.

On the other hand, higher education is being seriously hit.  Either
positions are not being filled or positions are being eliminated.  We know
this is happening but we have no statistical information to back it up.

-- 
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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