ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline
Volume 11, Number 31
April 12, 2002

In This Issue: Library Thank You Day Tuesday, April 16: Thank Your Senators for Support of LSTA Reauthorization


As Library Thank You Day approaches on Tuesday, April 16, 2002, The American Library Association urges members to actively support and thank longtime friend and supporter of our nation's libraries, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), and the other co-sponsors (listed below) who support the reauthorization of the Museum and Library Services Act. This legislation is designed to address the growing needs of one of America's most trusted and effective community institutions, our nation's libraries.

     "Today's library is not simply a place where books are read and borrowed. It is a place where a love for reading is born and renewed again and again, and where information is sought and discovered," said Senator Jack Reed (RI) of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. "American libraries also coordinate and provide comprehensive services to meet the needs of their communities and people of all ages - including providing Internet access, family literacy classes, homework help, mentoring programs, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, job training, and writing workshops," he concluded.  

     "An increased authorization level for LSTA to $500 million will provide for more equity in allocating funds across the nation, and ensure that all libraries have enough resources to provide library users access to successful programs in their communities," said ALA Washington Office Executive Director Emily Sheketoff. "This increase would  also double the minimum allotment to the states to $680,000 --  which has not changed since 1971. Limited funding has restricted smaller states from increasing services for those most in need for nearly three decades," she concluded. 

     LSTA is the only federal program exclusively created for libraries, and is administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The law's definition of a library includes institutions of all types and sizes, such as public, academic, research, school, state, and even digital libraries. The law includes grants for Native American and Native Hawaiian library services, as well as National Leadership grants aimed at education and training, research and demonstration projects, the preservation of library materials, and model projects between libraries and museums.

Senators to Thank on Library Thank You Day (April 16):

JACK REED (D, RI)
SUSAN COLLINS (R, ME)
OLYMPIA SNOWE (R, ME)
PATTY MURRAY (D, WA)
HILLARY CLINTON (D, NY)
CARL LEVIN (D, MI)
JEFF BINGAMON (D, NM)
JAY ROCKEFELLER (D, WV)
TIM JOHNSON (D, SD)
RUSS FEINGOLD (D, WI)
EDWARD KENNEDY (D, MA)
BARBARA MIKULSKI (D, MD)
PAUL SARBANNES (D, MD)
PAUL WELLSTONE (D, MN)
MARK DAYTON (D, MN)
CHRIS DODD (D, CT)


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ALA Washington Office, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Suite 403, Washington, D.C. 20004-1701; phone: 202.628.8410 or 800.941.8478 toll-free; fax: 202.628.8419; e-mail: alawash@alawash.org; Web site: http://www.ala.org/washoff.  Executive Director: Emily Sheketoff. Office of Government Relations: Lynne Bradley, Director; Camille Bowman, Mary Costabile, Don Essex, and Miriam Nisbet. Office for Information Technology Policy: Rick Weingarten, Director; Jennifer Hendrix, Carrie Russell, Claudette Tennant. ALAWON Editor: Bernadette Murphy.