ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline
Volume 12, Number 42
May 15, 2003

In This Issue: EMILY SHEKETOFF TESTIFIES BEFORE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE

On Wednesday, May 14, ALA Washington Office Executive Director Emily Sheketoff testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on FY2004 appropriations for library programs in the Museum and Library Services Act and the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program in the No Child Left Behind Legislation.

Sheketoff said she was speaking on behalf of library users across the country, school, public, academic and special libraries, and stressed the increased need for more funding for libraries of all kinds through the Library Services and Technology Act that is part of the Museum and Library Services Act. 

She made the point that since the legislation to reauthorize library programs had already passed the House by an almost unanimous majority and was being considered in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee at the same time as she was testifying, that she hoped the Senate bill which would authorize library programs at $250 million would prevail.  She asked for $250 million for library programs and $100 million for the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program, citing the 1,000 applicants and only 94 grants awarded in the previous year that demonstrated the overwhelming need to improve school library collections.  Applications for this year (FY03) number over 800.

She thanked the Chairman, Rep. Ralph Regula (R-OH), for his and for the committee's support for library funding in the past and complimented him on receiving the American Association of School Librarian's Crystal Apple award for his support of school libraries.  Rep. Regula said his daughter was a school librarian and kept him apprised of the importance of libraries.  He also wished ALA luck in its upcoming conference in Toronto.



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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, Patrice McDermott and Miriam Nisbet. Office for Information Technology Policy: Rick Weingarten, Director; Jennifer Hendrix, Carrie Russell, Claudette Tennant. ALAWON Editor: Bernadette Murphy.