[Libs-Or] Fwd: [alacoun] Great News...our first successes!!!

[Diedre Conkling]

I've been checking and I don't think this information has been shared here
yet.

In a couple of days it will be time to contact our Senators.


---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Julie Todaro <jtodaro at austincc.edu>
Date: Wed, Apr 5, 2017 at 7:37 AM.
Subject: [alacoun] Great News...our first successes!!!
To: ALA Executive Board (alaboard at lists.ala.org) <alaboard at lists.ala.org>,
ALA Council List <alacoun at lists.ala.org>


Hello library advocate leaders and thank you for all of your efforts to
dramatically increase the number of Members of the House of
Representatives this year signing our "Dear Appropriator" letters of
support for IAL and LSTA. Last year, our signer totals stood at 124 and 88
for those programs, respectively.

I could not be more pleased to tell you that as of the close of business on
Tuesday, all of us -- working as a team led by Emily and especially Adam
and the ALA Office of Government Relations -- had convinced *146 Members of
the House to support IAL funding in FY 2018* and (*drumroll, please*) *144
Members to back LSTA*. (See whether and how your Representative supported
IAL and/or LSTA with our sortable online tracker
<https://airtable.com/shruwZPRyL5f2CbQS/tbl3v3Ts6KMDMSyJ1> tool....and let
me state in advance that I am sorry the tracker is not easily accessible.)

Those totals, which are or the first time bipartisan on both letters,
represent a 18% increase in support for IAL and a phenomenal 64% increase
for LSTA over last year! Put another way, effectively *one-third of the
entire US House of Representatives has told the
House Appropriations Committee in writing that they support
BOTH IAL funding at $27 million and LSTA appropriations of $186.6 million
in FY 2018*!

As I said during one of our many telephone briefing calls (Board, Council,
Chapters, Affiliates, etc.) in which you likely participated, this is just
the beginning of a year-long fight to actually secure these vital funds at
the end of the current appropriations cycle, but this was an important --
and large -- first hump to get over by mobilizing our community and others
as never before. *CONGRATULATIONS!!!*

In a very little while, OGR and ALA leadership will be back to us with next
steps...what we all can and must do during the coming Congressional recess
next week and the one following.  They'll also be guiding us through the
Dear Appropriator letter advocacy process again when the Senate kicks off
its letter-signing season later this month. Fight for Libraries!
<http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/federallegislation/fight-for-libraries> and
OGR will be there to help all through the process, as I know you will be.
And we all know how easy it is to contact people so we expect even more
support...

But . . . for a day or two anyway, enjoy this collective victory and,
please, share it with all of your members and communities in a way that
helps them understand that we are powerful when we unite . . . and have
much, much more vital work to do together.

*Thank you all again, very much! And thanks to Board, ALA staff, ALA media,
and especially W.O. for our first big win....*

I can't post to everyone's list so ALA staff will cover an email to
Chapters and I am asking Melissa and Patty to post to affiliates.

You have - officially - 48 hours of rest - then we get back on....

Julie









-- 
*Diedre Conkling*




*Lincoln County Library DistrictP.O. Box 2027Newport, OR 97365Phone & Fax:
541-265-3066Work email**: **diedre at lincolncolibrarydist.org*
<diedre at lincolncolibrarydist.org>
*Home email: **diedre08 at gmail.com* <diedre08 at gmail.com>

“If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change
your attitude.”―Maya Angelou
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