[Libs-Or] INFORMATION Fwd: [District Dispatch] Senate committee clears appropriations bill with funds for school libraries, level support for Library Services and Technology Act

[Diedre Conkling]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Jenni Terry" <jterry at alawash.org>
Date: Sep 22, 2011 6:59 AM
Subject: [District Dispatch] Senate committee clears appropriations bill
with funds for school libraries, level support for Library Services and
Technology Act
To: "Diedre Conkling" <diedre08 at gmail.com>


The Senate Appropriations Committee passed its Labor, Health and Human
Services, Education appropriations bill yesterday with at least $15 million
designated for school libraries. The bill also level-funds the Library
Services and Technology Act (LSTA) at $189 million.

The Senate bill sets aside $30 million for national non-profit organizations
and school libraries in high-need areas and directs that at least 50 percent
of this funding be used for school libraries.

“Last year, funding for the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries
program was wiped from this bill, which left school libraries without any
specific federal funding, and the President’s budget request also zeroed out
the program,” Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the American Library
Association (ALA) Washington Office, said.

“It seems the Senate Appropriations Committee has recognized what a mistake
this was, and we thank them for including new funding in the bill that will
directly benefit students depending on their school libraries. Yet, we
understand that there is a long road ahead and urge House appropriators to
safeguard this funding for our nation’s students when they mark up their
version of the bill.”

Sheketoff said protecting LSTA funding at its current level in this “slash
and burn” Congress is one of the most important federal issues for public
libraries.

“This is a very uncertain time for the future of many, many federal
programs,” Sheketoff said.

“We knew there was a strong chance the Senate appropriators could choose to
further reduce LSTA funding – or even cut it all together. While we take it
as a positive sign that LSTA cleared the first hurdle, we know the race is
not over yet. In these tough economic times, the public has been using their
public libraries more than ever, depending on the library’s computers,
Internet access and employment skills training.  LSTA allows libraries to
continue offering these important services.”

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