Urge Members of Congress to #FundLibraries in FY2022 !

Urge your Members of Congress to #FundLibraries in FY2022!

Please ask that they sign onto 

the Dear Appropriator letters for the LSTA and IAL

American Library Association Action Center: March 2021

#FundLibraries Campaign

President Biden is expected to soon submit an outline of his proposed budget spending requests for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, which includes federal funding amounts for libraries.

We need your help NOW until the final budget is signed in order to ensure that libraries are fully funded in the next fiscal year.

ALA has launched our annual FY2022 #FundLibraries Campaign, and we encourage you to bookmark this page and browse the provided resources that can be shared amongst your library community. Included is the one-page introduction to federal library funding, state-by-state library factsheets to share with your elected officials, and a handy visual guide on the overall federal appropriations process.

Because things are a bit different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent passage of the American Rescue Plan Act, the Dear Appropriator letters have begun circulating this week in both the House and Senate, a few weeks later than in previous years.

For FY2022, we are asking congressional appropriators to include funding

➤ at least $206 million for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA)

➤ $50 million for the Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) grant program. 

Will you contact your members of Congress and ask them to sign onto the Dear Appropriator letters?  READ MORE ➤➤

Find Your Elected Officials

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 15

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: College graduate

Support Build America's Libraries Act ▬ American Library Association

Build America's Libraries Act

ALA: 2021

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Introduced on January 28, 2021 by Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), along with Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR), the Build America's Libraries Act would fund upgrades to the nation's library infrastructure to address challenges such as natural disasters, COVID-19, broadband capacity, environmental hazards, and accessibility barriers.

This groundbreaking legislation would pave the way for new and improved library facilities in underserved communities across the country. Join us in the effort to support this bill and #BuildLibraries .

The Build America’s Library Act would begin to address decades of underinvestment by providing funds to repair and construct modern library facilities in underserved and disadvantaged communities. Specifically, funding could be used for:

➤ Constructing, renovating, modernizing, or retrofitting library facilities, including by enhancing facilities to reduce the risk of COVID-19 and vulnerability to natural disasters. 

* Investing in library infrastructure projects to improve internet access and connectivity.

➤ Reducing or eliminating the presence of potential hazards to library staff and patrons, including toxic substances, lead, mold, mildew, and unsafe drinking water.

* Making library facilities more accessible and inclusive to people with disabilities.

➤ Improving library facilities for the purposes of supporting place-based services or community-based partnerships that provide library patrons with access to educational, workforce, behavioral health, mental health, and social services.

Urge your Senators to support the Build America's Libraries Act.

 TAKE ACTION NOW !

  

Resources

ALA one-pager: Build America's Libraries Act

Press release: ALA acclaims reintroduction of Build America's Libraries Act

Bill text: S. 127

Share Your Story

What are the biggest challenges you face in your library facilities? What impact would this legislation have on your community? Share your story with ALA to help make the case for federal support for library construction and modernization. 

Your elected officials want to hear concrete examples of impact and need from their constituents - increase your impact by sharing your story.

Take a moment to tell your community how important it is that we pass this legislation and #BuildLibraries. Use our social media graphics below to spread the word. Don't forget to follow @LibraryPolicy and #BuildLibraries on Twitter for more updates!  READ MORE ➤➤

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 11

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 15-17 yrs. old

(Tenth to Eleventh graders)

Why Public Libraries Matter: It’s Time for America To Stop Starving Libraries Of Funding ▬ The Nation

Why Public Libraries Matter
It’s time for America to stop starving its libraries of funding.

ONE BOOK,
ONE CONGRESS

The Nation: 6.04.2015 by Katrina vanden Heuvel

There are more public libraries in America—some 9,000 central buildings and 7,500 branch locations—than McDonald’s restaurants, making them one of the most ubiquitous institutions in the nation. Far from serving as obsolescent repositories for dead wood, libraries are integral, yet threatened, parts of the American social fabric. Libraries, after all, are truly democratic spaces where all are welcome and where everything inside is available to everyone. Few American institutions strive for “equity of access,” a core principle of the American Library Association, and even fewer pay more than lip service to the idea that services like the Internet are necessary aspects of life that simply must be made available to all members of society. But despite their impact and import—much of it hidden from people of means who can independently (and often expensively) secure for themselves those services provided by the library—America is starving its libraries, cutting off millions of people from the stream of information that, like oxygen, powers the development and basic functions of society.  READ MORE ➤➤

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 14

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 21-22 yrs. old

(college level)

Contact Congress to Save IMLS ▬ EveryLibrary

Contact Congress to Save IMLS

President Trump's 2021 budget ends federal funding for libraries and museums. We can't let that stand. Please take a moment and help us fight back by signing this petition

Action EveryLibrary: 12.02.2020

President Trump’s FY2021 Budget is targeting the only federal library programs for complete elimination.

#FundLibraries

#Libraries2020

Again.

This is the fourth year that our president has called for the total shutdown of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. It is the fourth year that reasonable and right-minded library advocates have to rally against his proposed cuts.

Join us and thousands of other Americans and tell Congress “NO” to this bad budget proposal. Send your message today to ensure that the House and Senate do their jobs and fund libraries, museums, and archives.

IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. IMLS provides grants to libraries in need to replace technology and infrastructure. Many rural and urban communities depend on these grants to continue operations and provide essential community services. In small towns and big cities, museums are vital to sharing the arts, extending our cultural memory, and connecting us with people we’d never otherwise have met. IMLS is a primary source of federal grant funding to extend state and local resources in order to educate students, preserve and digitize collections, and connect families with their communities.

═════════►

Every state library puts IMLS funding to work in critically important ways that are high-impact for their states. Public libraries often provide the only broadband access to rural communities and many Americans in all areas often rely on this access to apply to jobs, access training, and to learn new skills. Many entrepreneurs use the resources found in the library to get a competitive edge in an increasingly global marketplace. IMLS funding supports school readiness programs, provides resources and materials to educators, helps libraries develop resources for underserved and at-risk populations and funds pilot projects that enable libraries to address the needs of their communities in creative ways.

This is the fourth time the president's budget has proposed cuts to the IMLS. In 2019, Americans from all political spectrums rallied against the proposed cuts. Over the last three years, EveryLibrary's SaveIMLS.org campaign has helped empower over 20,000 Americans to send a message to Congress to reverse those cuts and expand support for the IMLS. This national voter engagement campaign has educated Americans about the role and impact of libraries and librarians, to secure better funding for school and public libraries from all levels of government.

Send an Email to Support IMLS

Please take just a few seconds to encourage our representatives to preserve the only federal funding programs for libraries and museums

Find your local rep

Please Support Funding for IMLS

As your constituent and a voter, I am writing to ask you to preserve federal funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)

IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. Cutting this funding means that countless libraries will lose access to the grants that allow them to replace crumbling technology and infrastructure that many rural and urban communities depend on. Libraries often provide the only broadband access to rural communities and many Americans in all areas often rely on libraries to apply to jobs, access training to learn new skills, and many entrepreneurs use the resources found in the library to get a competitive edge in an increasingly global marketplace. In fact, for every dollar spent on libraries, more than $5 are returned to the community.

Libraries are also one of the most used and loved government infrastructures in the  United States. In fact, more people visit their library than attend the NFL, NHL, NBA, NASCAR, or the movie theater COMBINED and voters overwhelmingly support library funding. Cutting this funding would critically wound millions of Americans' ability to get ahead in life.

Thank you.

READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 13

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 18-19 yrs. old

(college level entry)

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Philadelphia PA :: Myrtle Beach SC :: Auburn AL

Literacy: Spanning the US

@PHLWorkforce

Adult Education Isn’t A Priority in the FY21 Budget — But It Should Be

Generocity: 5.20.2020 by Amy Ballard & Bryce Bayer

The new budget for the City of Philadelphia makes one thing clear: adult education is not a priority.

To participate in society and have opportunities for the future, education is crucial. However, in the FY21 budget, the Office of Adult Education (OAE) was completely slashed. For the past 37 years, staff from this office connected learners with the diverse programs around the city, ranging from English as a Second Language (ESL) and citizenship, to high school equivalency and workforce development.

They offered professional development for educators and training for volunteers. OAE celebrated and prioritized adult learners and shouted the message that education, no matter your age, is a right.

This cut leaves adult education programs around the city disconnected just as we begin to imagine the post-pandemic rebuilding of our communities and workforce. It is abundantly clear that the reverberations of this pandemic will be felt most by those with the fewest resources, including our adult learners. Losing OAE is salt in the wound during an already profoundly painful time.

Education as a whole is underfunded and undervalued, and adult learners feel the brunt of that. However, even though adults are often forgotten in the rhetoric of education programming and funding in Philadelphia, these learning communities are robust and growing.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 12

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 17-18 yrs. old

(Twelfth graders)

Palmetto Literacy 

Council

Literacy Council Says Quarantine Doesn’t Have To Close Book On Learning

My Horry News: 5.29.2020 by Ettie Newlands

Michelle Jaruwannakorn had never heard of dyslexia when her son was diagnosed with it back in Ohio.

Dyslexia is a general term for disorders involving difficulty learning to read or interpret letters and other symbols, and does not affect general intelligence.

Since being tutored at the Palmetto Literacy Council [PLC], 9-year-old Aaden has started to actually enjoy reading.

Aaden’s Seaside Elementary School teacher told his mother the literacy council could help with his problem, and that’s exactly what happened.

“At first, Aaden would only read with me, but now he reads to his younger brother and sister and he’ll read with his Dad too,” Jaruwannakorn says.

When the Palmetto Literacy Council closed on March 17 because of COVID-19, there were 20 students between the ages of 5 and 55 matched with tutors. Eight were about to be matched, and there were about 30 people on a waiting list.

Since the closure, about three or four of the current students were willing to be tutored online.

Only one of those is an adult.

Executive director Dodi Hodges says the other adults don’t have access to the internet.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 9

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 13-15 yrs. old

(Eighth and Ninth graders)

@LeeCoLit

Lee County Literacy Coalition Receives $10,000 Grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to Support Adult Literacy

Auburn Chamber: 5.28.2020

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation recently awarded Lee County Literacy organization a $10,000 grant to support adult literacy. This local grant is part of more than $8.6 million in grants awarded to more than 950 schools, nonprofits and organizations across the communities Dollar General serves.

“Imagine for a moment, what it would be like not being able to read. For some this is a reality. On any given day, we are always improving. LCLC is grateful for the support of the Dollar General Foundation”. – Patricia Butts, executive director.

By increasing adult literacy rates, Lee County Literacy Coalition (LCLC) positively affects poverty, K-12 test scores, economic prosperity, emotional and physical health. Programs include one-to-one tutoring for reading, writing, math, computer, and GED preparation to adults in Lee County and neighboring counties as well as financial, health and computer literacy workshops. While learner gain is the primary goal for all LCLC programming, getting, keeping, and advancing in a job are a close second. LCLC's Leveraging Technology for Literacy Project will introduce adult learners to applications to improve overall literacy.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 11

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 15-17 yrs. old

(Tenth to Eleventh graders)

We Will Lose Libraries to COVID-19 via Medium.com

#VoteLibraries

We Will Lose Libraries to COVID-19

Medium.com: 4.16.2020 by Kate Tkacik Sweeney

Your local public library is likely tied, inextricably, to your local economy. Most public libraries in the United States are paid for by some combination of sales and property tax. As spending halts, so does financial support for the library. We’re already seeing sweeping cuts to local administrations, laying off or furloughing hundreds of workers, library workers along with them. This isn’t false hype or hysteria. It’s happening. It will get worse.

Publicly funded libraries were already facing an uphill battle. Over the past decade, voter support for libraries has tanked. Even as the library is generally perceived favorably, increasing anti-tax sentiment undermines the library’s ability to expand, or even exist.

Every day of quarantine reinforces new or different habits. Active library users may find new ways to get resources or learn. The break in continuity, this possible behavior change, paired with loss of tax and voter support, will be catastrophic.

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Is it certain libraries will close? Yes, for some. But there are simple actions every citizen can take to try to ensure their library remains. Just like any other cause, the library needs your action and your advocacy. Being a user of the library is wonderful — even commendable — but there is not clear data to suggest that use of a library correlates to financial support of the library (really!). So this is an ask of you: will you be a library advocate? Will you support library workers? Will you be a library voter? If yes, then here’s what’s next:

Email your state and national representatives, and tell them you care about your library and library workers, and you recognize your library’s importance to your community.

Research your local library to understand who your local library officials are — could be your city council or a specific elected politician. Write to them. Tell them you care about your library.

Engage with your local library on social media. Tweet them up, re-post them on Facebook. Get the library in front of your social networks.

Now find a friend and get them to do all of the above, too.

If you have the resources, consider a donation to EveryLibrary*. EveryLibrary is the first and only 501c4 action organization dedicated to helping libraries win at the ballot.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 9

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 13-15 yrs. Old

(Eighth and Ninth graders)

Library / Literacy Funding

2018

From Awareness to Funding: Voter Perceptions and Support of Public Libraries in 2018, OCLC

2017
Library & Literacy Funding Chart: FY 2017 -by President, House, and Senate, ALA (excel file)

2011
Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study, ALA
2008
From Awareness to Funding: A Study of Library Support in America, OCLC
2007
Worth Their Weight: Assessment . . . Library Valuation, Americans for Libraries Council

Return On Investment – ROI

2019: Library Funding Map, EveryLibrary

Economic Impact of Public Libraries (various ROIs), WI Dept Public Instruction
Libraries Matter: Impact Research: Bibliography, ALA
Public Libraries – A Wise Investment - Library Research Service

The Economic Case For Supporting Libraries via Book Riot

Case For Support

The Economic Case For Supporting Libraries

Book Riot: 11.06.2019 by Christine Ro

Here at Book Riot, we’re well aware of the many benefits of libraries. We’ve written, for instance, about how libraries:

Of course promote literacy, including by sharing tips with parents

Provide a sanctuary

Improve educational outcomes

Create community spaces

Provide a wealth of digital materials . . .

Preserve local history and culture

Champion diversity . . .

Open gateways to possible careers and lifestyles, including for future authors

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Overall, the Public Libraries report claims that each £1 invested in a local library service has an economic return of £5–7. The similar return on investment is £3.89–5.48 in the U.S. and over £4 in New Zealand.

It will be impossible to quantify every advantage libraries offer to their communities. But Public Libraries: The Case for Support and similar research shows that these advantages are evidence-backed and undeniable. This is especially useful when calling on policymakers to commit funding in order to maintain and develop libraries.  READ MORE >>

Library / Literacy Funding

2018: From Awareness to Funding: Voter Perceptions & Support . . ., OCLC

2017: Library & Literacy Funding Chart: FY 2017 -by President, House, and

Senate, ALA (excel file)

2011: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study, ALA
2008: From Awareness to Funding: A Study of Library Support in America, OCLC
2007: Worth Their Weight: Assessment . . . Library Valuation, Americans for Libraries Council

Return On Investment - ROI

2019
Library Funding Map, EveryLibrary
Economic Impact of Public Libraries (various ROIs), WI Dept Public Instruction
Libraries Matter: Impact Research: Bibliography, ALA
Public Libraries – A Wise Investment - Library Research Service

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Pierre SD :: Plattsburgh NY :: Buffalo NY

Literacy: Spanning the US

The Right Turn

The Right Turn Continues Teaching, Despite Funding Environment

Capital Journal: 8.14.2019 by Del Bartels

The Right Turn, located on Sioux Ave. in Pierre, is a place to learn.

The United Way-sponsored non-profit organization seeks to strengthen the community by “nurturing personal growth and promoting economic success through education and job training.”

Since 1974, this organization, funded primarily through grants and donations, has been serving 12 rural counties in central South Dakota, and three American Indian reservations by offering a slew of education and training This includes: adult basic education and literacy classes, computer training, tutoring, GED preparation, National Career Readiness Certification training, English as a second language classes, work readiness classes, child care provider education and support, CPR certification, Child Development Associate certification medical transcription training, medical coding and billing training, pharmacy technician training, executive assistant training, computer technician training test proctoring.

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The organization began in 1974, when the Pierre Clerical Program was founded to train individuals for entry-level clerical positions in central South Dakota. Over the decades, many programs have been initiated, then have been discontinued or transferred to other entities. Many awards have been earned.  READ MORE >>

@literacyfec

Literacy Volunteers Seek Clinton County Funding

Sun Community News: 8.16.2019 by Sarah Elizabeth Morris

The Literacy Volunteers of Clinton County (LVCC) uses its limited budget and resources to help improve literacy in adults. Whether it be helping non-English speakers learn the language or combating adult illiteracy in the North Country, the mission statement is clear: “To empower residents who seek to improve their literacy skills.”

According to LVCC statistics, there are 114 adult learners, 84 from Plattsburgh, which comes out to 5,000 hours of instruction. However, outside towns are in need of outreach, of which the group says it doesn’t have enough.

The volunteer group was created in 1972 and teaches people of all ages. The LVCC has two programs: Imagination Library and Literacy Camp.

The Imagination Library is a program that gives children free books in the mail monthly. This is meant to not only encourage children to learn to read faster, but also get them excited about reading. This is especially helpful for lower-income families who cannot afford books.  READ MORE >>

@LiteracyBuffalo

From the United Way: Literacy New York Buffalo-Niagara Improves Work Path For Residents

Niagara Gazette: 8.17.2019

There are thousands of adults in Erie and Niagara counties who are functionally illiterate, meaning that they read below the 5th grade level. This has a profound impact on children, families and the entire region. And, while Niagara County has service providers (like Orleans Niagara BOCES Adult Education) that help to increase literacy, there are few programs that provide instruction for adults with low literacy levels, so our services are in very high demand.

Literacy New York Buffalo-Niagara (LNYBN) is the region's sole provider of free, one-on-one adult literacy services. Our mission is to develop literacy skills by providing free tutoring in Erie & Niagara counties through engagement and training of diverse community volunteers. We provide reading and English language learning to approximately 350 adults per year, using over 200 trained community volunteer tutors.

In 2018, with the help of the United Way of Greater Niagara, LNYBN launched a project designed to maximize services in Niagara County. We opened Literacy Drop-In Centers in the cities of Niagara Falls and Lockport as part of a larger outreach project aimed at boosting access to literacy assistance throughout Western New York.  READ MORE >>