IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED on an important national legislative issue:
Please Contact Our Senators and Ask Them To Support Federal Funding For America’s Libraries.
Senator Allard: 202-224-5941 (you’ll speak with aide Jon Van Meter)
Senator Salazar: 202-224-5852 (you’ll speak with aide Piper Su)
You can leave a message overnight if you don’t want to talk to a person. If you don’t mind human contact, all you need to do is ask them to “cosign the “Library Funding Request” (AKA Reed/Collins “Dear Colleagues”) letter”. If they want to co-sign, they should call either Elyse (4-4642) with Senator Reed, or Nikki (4-2523) with Senator Collins to indicate their support.
We need to make these calls no later than Monday, March 31st, so please take 2 minutes and do this right now…
The “Library Funding Request” letter is addressed to the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriation Subcommittees and requests that the Senate include President Bush’s request of $214.432 million for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and increased funding for the Improving Literary Through School Libraries program for FY 2009. $2.8 million is what Colorado will receive in LSTA funds.
LSTA and Improving Literacy Through School Libraries are two of the most important federal programs for libraries today. If we don’t have every Senator sign on, the letter will not be taken seriously, and it will appear as if Members of Congress do not care about libraries. Programs that don’t have a vocal support network are in danger of being cut.
Clarification: when you contact your Senator, you must ask him or her to call Elyse(4-4642) with Senator Reed or Nikki (4-2523) with Senator Collins, in order to “co-sign” the letter. You should not call Elyse or Nikki directly.
Thanks for your support!
—
Martin Garnar
President, Colorado Association of Libraries
Reference Librarian and Associate Professor of Library Science
Dayton Memorial Library, Regis University
3333 Regis Blvd., Mail Stop D-20
Denver, CO 80221
303.964.5459 (voice)
303.964.5497 (fax)
mgarnar@regis.edu
