Category Archives: Advocacy

Advocacy, Communication

Record Number of Senators Sign LSTA Letter (Thank You!)

Letter from Julie Todaro, ALA President:

Dear Members:

I never cease to be amazed by your passion, your tenacity, and your dedication. You are tremendous! Because of your efforts, I am pleased to report that last night Senator Reed’s staff delivered to the Appropriations Committee the LSTA letter of support with the signatures of 45 Senators along with the IAL letter supported by 37 members! The LSTA total sets a new record and the IAL total equals our previous record set in 2013. Thank you for staying with us every step of the way in this critical fight for funding.

It’s clear from these results and direct feedback from many Senators’ offices that ALA’s advocacy (more than 20,000 emails were sent to the Senate through our Legislative Action Center) led to this unprecedented showing of Senate support for LSTA and IAL, and implicitly IMLS. It could not have happened without the tremendous support of COSLA’s leadership and membership, along with the help of the Corporate Committee for Library Investment (CCLI) companies. This powerful combination of grassroots, grasstops and professional advocacy in both the House and the Senate—mounted and maintained intensively over the past two months—has placed LSTA and IAL in the strongest position possible at this point in the appropriations cycle. While we still have much more to do, these results are worth celebrating!

A few highlights to consider:

  • This year’s LSTA total of 45 tops last year’s support level by 33% and IAL’s by just under 20%.
  • Both the LSTA and IAL letters were bipartisan. You can find out which Senators supported the letters on our online tracker.
  • Every Democrat on the critical “Labor H” appropriations subcommittee signed both letters (Ranking Member Patty Murry of WA, given her position, was not expected to sign.)
  • 10 returning senators signed the LSTA letter who had not signed last year: Feinstein, Bennet, Carper, Nelson, Donnelly, Heitkamp, Udall, Casey, Kaine, and Warner.
  • All 5 freshman Democrats signed the LSTA letter (Harris, Duckworth, Van Hollen, Hassan, and Cortez Masto), and all but Duckworth also signed the IAL letter.
  • Every Democrat not in an “abstaining” leadership position signed the LSTA letter, other than Claire McCaskill of MO (she is supportive, but generally does not sign such letters).
  • 6 returning senators signed the IAL letter who had not signed last year: Coons, Collins, Merkley, Warner, Cantwell, and Manchin.
  • We did lose 2 signers from last year (Burr on LSTA and Wicker on IAL), but both stated that they continue to be supportive.

I want to thank the incredible staff of ALA’s Washington Office, particularly the Office of Government Relations, for their tireless dedication to this process. They, in partnership with their colleagues throughout ALA, helped us meet and exceed expectations as we faced the first few chapters in what’s sure to be an epic quest to protect this absolutely essential funding.

I’ll be in touch soon with everything you need to help us face the next challenge—the upcoming appropriations process. Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Thank you,

Julie Todaro

ALA President

Advocacy, Books, School Media Specialist

Minnesota Principal Defends Absolutely True Diary from Challenge

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie

 

 

This article is from  the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund:

By

“Good news from Minnesota! Following receipt of a letter from National Coalition Against Censorship member organizations including CBLDF, the principal of New London-Spicer Middle School responded that she will recommend keeping Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian in the 8th grade curriculum. The book was challenged by parents who said it contained “gratuitous and unnecessary” profanity and references to sexual acts.

This challenge to Alexie’s novel is not to be confused with the one in neighboring Wisconsin, where the superintendent of the Sauk Prairie School District is also recommending that it remain in the curriculum. In the Minnesota case, NCAC members this week sent a letter to New London-Spicer Middle School principal Trish Perry urging her to consider the value of the book as a whole, and the negative precedent that would be set by allowing a few parents to dictate curricular selections for all students. Yesterday, Perry responded to thank NCAC for the letter and said she will recommend that Absolutely True Diary be retained because she “[values] the work that is in the book.”

Perry’s support is certainly a positive step, but it may not be the end of the line for this challenge. According to New London-Spicer School District policy, if the complainants are unsatisfied with her recommendation they may request a meeting with the superintendent and then the school board. Although Perry is defending the book in this case, this type of challenge policy leaves curricular materials too vulnerable to unilateral censorship by one person, as we’ve seen in past cases. The letter from NCAC also recommended that New London-Spicer revise its policy to adopt the more common model of forming a review committee to consider challenges to materials, and offered assistance in formulating such a policy if needed.

Luckily, New London-Spicer superintendent Paul Carlson also seems to support the book, saying in a radio interview that it contains “some very good topics about a 14-year-old boy who wants to better his life and overcome poverty.” He plans to meet with the complainants as well, but expects that the challenge will be on the agenda at the next school board meeting on June 12.

Below, check out the letter NCAC sent to Principal Perry this week. We will be on the lookout for updates!

(Read the rest of this article here!)

Advocacy, Communication, Conference, Training

How to Be an Influential Librarian – Leading and Mentoring from Wherever you Are

Dear Colleagues,

As you begin to build your schedules for ALA, please consider including this excellent program:

How to Be an Influential Librarian – Leading and Mentoring from Wherever you Are

Sponsored by: ALCTS Leadership Development Committee

Cosponsored by: LLAMA Mentoring Committee and the ALA New Members Round Table (NMRT)

Saturday, June 24th from 1:30-2:30 pm

Librarians in any stage of their career can learn to be influential leaders in not only their own organization, but the library world as a whole. Attendees will learn how to build and leverage strong mentor/mentee relationships, both formal and informal, allowing them to connect and influence from either role. By focusing on interpersonal and communication skills, attendees will be able to effectively support their colleagues and organization by leading from wherever they are.

Our speakers represent librarians from early, mid, and late career points. We have Madison Sullivan (a new librarian at the University of Washington and formerly a fellow at NCSU), Rachel Fleming (the Collections Initiatives Librarian at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga), and Maureen Sullivan (leadership consultant and past president of ALA). We’re hoping this session will be engaging, allowing both speakers and attendees to connect and share their experiences.

Catherine Soehner

LLAMA Mentoring Committee

Advocacy

Update from the Lobbyists for MN Libraries

File:Minnesota State Capitol.jpg

Special Session adjourns Sine Die

Early this morning the Minnesota Legislature adjourned their Special Session ‘Sine Die’ having passed the seven bills in the global agreement with Gov. Mark Dayton.

The bills detailed a $46 million budget including $650 million reduction in taxes, $483 million for education, $300 million for transportation and nearly $1 billion in bonding for public works. All of the bills now will go to the governor for his signature or veto.

While the governor signed the global agreement that kicked off the special session, there were few details in that original document. As a result, activists, union leaders and some high-ranking DFLers are urging him to veto all or some of the agreement.

While general expectations are that Gov. Dayton will sign or veto the bills by the middle to end of next week, he has 14 days to consider the bills passed in the special session after they’re presented to him. The legislature has three days to present the special session bills to the Governor.

Bonding Bill
The bonding bill contains $2 million for library construction and renovation grants. There are no earmarks for these funds so an open grant process will ensue at the MN Department of Education. Sam Samuel P. Walseth Capitol Hill Associates 525 Park Street, Suite 255 St. Paul, MN 55103

Advocacy, CMLE

TODAY! Postcard Party in the Park! Join us!!

Clemens GardensWe are very excited to hang out in beautiful sunshine, talk with library people, and let everyone know how wonderful and valuable libraries are.

So we are hosting a Postcard Party in the Park TODAY, and you are invited! (You, your family, friends, neighbors, polite strangers you met on the street – it’s a very inclusive invitation!)

CMLE HQ will provide postcards and addresses; you can write out quick notes to your stakeholders to tell them about libraries; and we will mail them. Quick and easy advocacy in action!

Thursday, May 25 from 11:00 to 1:00 we will be sitting at tables behind the Gift Shop at the Munsinger Clemens Gardens. Bring your lunch; we will provide snacks, postcards, pens, and addresses for your legislators. Beverages are available for purchase at the Gift Shop, and water fountains are nearby.

After our poll on the best day for this event, we have added a second time. We will also be there from 4:30 to 6:30 that afternoon. Stop by on your way home from work, or bring a sack dinner and enjoy the beautiful gardens, and the river! Snacks and postcards will again be available to everyone who attends. Bring your kids and sweeties and friends and patrons, and let them run around the garden while we have library fun! (Of course, everyone is invited to write out a postcard! But it’s not a requirement of having fun.)

We will provide suggestions for stakeholders who might appreciate some quick news for you, and give you some suggested wording to help you get started. This is your chance to enjoy yourselves in the company of other library people, chat about libraries, and do a little advocacy work to help us all!

Continue reading TODAY! Postcard Party in the Park! Join us!! →