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

[Libtechlady]

Thank you, Stephanie! This is a great list of concrete actions.
Margaret Alexander
UO Libraries

On Sat, Mar 15, 2025, 4:08 PM Stephanie Chase via Libs-Or <
libs-or at omls.oregon.gov> wrote:

> 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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