Take action to save federal library funding! Yes: You!!

Librarians have always been cool and cutting edge!
From:
Beth Yoke, CAE
Executive Director
Young Adult Library Services Association

The White House budget that was released today calls for eliminating the Institute of Museum & Library Services (IMLS), the only federal agency charged with providing support to the nation’s hundreds of thousands of libraries and museums.  ALA and YALSA need your help to ensure that IMLS is saved, because without libraries teens will not have the resources and support they need to succeed in school and prepare for college, careers, and life.  Here’s what you can do right now:*   Use the sample messages in this document to contact the offices of your members of Congress

*   Share your photo or story via this form of how support from IMLS has enabled you and your library to help the teens in your community.  YALSA will use this information to advocate against the elimination of IMLS
*   Sign up via this web page to receive updates on the #SaveIMLS effort
*   Add your name to this online petition being circulated by EveryLibrary
*   Start planning how you, your teen patrons, and library advocates will participate in National Library Legislative Day on May 2.  Use the resources on YALSA’s wiki.

*   Encourage your friends, family, and colleagues to do the above as well

Don’t know much about IMLS?  Here’s a quick overview: through IMLS, every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. territories receive funding to support their state’s libraries and museums.  In FY14 the total funding IMLS distributed to states and territories was $154,800,000.  In addition, IMLS offers competitive grant opportunities that individual libraries and museums can apply for.  In FY14 they awarded 594 grants (from 1,299 applications) totaling more than $54,700,000.  Visit the IMLS site to see how much funding your state receives from them.

Want to take further action to support teens and libraries?  We salute you!  Check out the free online resources we have to make speaking up for teens and libraries easy.

-Beth

Beth Yoke, CAE
Executive Director
Young Adult Library Services Association
50 E. Huron St. Chicago, IL 60611
1.800.545.2433 x4391
fax: 312.280.5276
byoke@ala.org<mailto:byoke@ala.org>
@yalsa_director