[Libs-Or] URGENT Call to Action: Executive Order Targeting the IMLS

[Stephanie Chase]

Hello to my Oregon colleagues:

I am sure I won't be the only one posting about this today, and I am also
sure we'll hear more from our State Library colleagues about how we can
support them and their work, but in the meantime, I wanted to share some
ways you can take action *before Monday* in response to the
President's executive
order from Friday night
<https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/continuing-the-reduction-of-the-federal-bureaucracy/>
that includes the IMLS among its targets.

Here's what I am doing today, Saturday, and tomorrow, Sunday:

   - *Signing the *EveryLibrary petition
   <https://www.everylibrary.org/statementimls2025>;

   - Either *filling out EveryLibrary's form* that will come up after you
   sign the petition that will automatically send a message to our Governor
   and our congressional delegation *or using ALA's Show Up for Libraries
   form
   <https://oneclickpolitics.global.ssl.fastly.net/messages/edit?promo_id=23577>*
   to send a tailored message focusing on the IMLS — *if you use ALA's
   form, you will want to adapt or add to the language*. A great idea would
   be to mention any project your library has received LSTA support for — for
   anyone in Cliff Bentz's district, OR District 2
   <https://bentz.house.gov/about/our-district> an easy mention is the Sage
   Courier service (and there are more ideas below);

   - Because these forms send an auto-generated email that might be flagged
   by some offices, I am also *calling Senators Wyden and Merkley, and my
   congressperson*. *Hate making phone calls like I do? Then getting this
   done before Monday is PERFECT for you, because you can leave a voicemail!*
   Five Calls has some great tips: https://5calls.org/getting-started/,
   including leaving your address in your voicemail so they know you are a
   constituent — again, especially important if you are in District 2. While
   it is best to reference the executive order specifically and mention at
   least one IMLS-related item (see my next bullet point), you can
also use Five
   Calls' talking points about DOGE's work and the passage of the continuing
   resolution <https://5calls.org/issue/cr-continuing-resolution-doge-musk/>
   ;

   - *Sending a message of support to our colleagues at the State Library
   of Oregon* — the funds that come to the State Library from the IMLS
   <https://www.oregon.gov/library/libraries/pages/lsta.aspx> provide and
   support so many amazing resources, including:
      - the competitive grants program
      - our statewide databases and the Oregon School Library Information
      System (OSLIS)
      - the teen intern grant
      - professional development and training
      - support for the ODLC collection and Answerland
      - the Sage System Courier, and, critically,
      - many of the State Library staff we in public and school libraries
      call on for support and with our questions!

      - *Signing up to be a public supporter for ALA
   <https://give.ala.org/campaign/653941/donate>*. ALA now has a program
   that any of us who are OPB supporters will recognize, which allows us to
   easily give directly to ALA or become a monthly sustaining member;

   - *Sharing these calls to action* — whether all of them, or just some of
   them, *with my friends, family, and colleagues*;

   - And finally, *because we can't forget the request from our OLA
   Legislative Committee chairs
   <http://listsmart.osl.state.or.us/pipermail/libs-or/2025-March/022655.html>*,
   I'm touching base with the Libraries of Eastern Oregon board to *submit
   written testimony in support of SB 1098
   <https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Measures/Overview/SB1098> *so
   I can also be taking action locally.

*These items* (perhaps with the exception of written testimony for SB
1098!) *take less than 5 minutes to complete individually, and you could do
all of them in under 30 minutes*. That's 15 minutes today, and 15 minutes
tomorrow.

Thank you to everyone in the Oregon library community for all you do!

Stephanie Chase
Executive Director, Libraries of Eastern Oregon
American Library Association Executive Board member
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