ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline Volume 14, Number 52 May 16, 2005 In This Issue: THANK YOUR SENATORS FOR SUPPORTING FEDERAL FUNDING FOR AMERICA'S LIBRARIES ACTION NEEDED: If your Senator signed the letter sent by Senator Jack Reed and Senator Susan Collins in support of funding for federal library programs (see list below), please thank them for their efforts. In the U.S. Senate, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and Senator Susan M. Collins (R-ME) sent a letter addressed to the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriation Subcommittee in support of President Bush's request of $221.33 million for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and $100 million for the Improving Literary Through School Libraries program for FY 2006. The letter had the support of 37 Senators - four more than last year. The LSTA and the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries programs provide critical funding for libraries of all kinds nationwide. Only by including $221.33 million for the LSTA and $100 million for the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program in the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill will we ensure that library patrons of all ages have sufficient access to library and information services, support recruiting and educating the next generation of librarians, and provide libraries the resources they need to improve literacy skills and academic achievement. The following Senators signed the Reed-Collins letter: Akaka, Bayh, Bingaman, Boxer, Cantwell, Chafee, Clinton, Collins, Corzine, Dayton, Dodd, Dorgan, Durbin, Feingold, Feinstein, Graham, Jeffords, Johnson, Kennedy, Kerry, Kohl, Lautenberg, Leahy, Levin, Lincoln, Mikulski, Murray, Nelson, Obama, Pryor, Reed, Rockefeller, Sarbanes, Schumer, Snowe, Stabenow, Wyden. Visit ALA's website to view this letter at: Use ALA's Washington Office Legislative Action Center at to identify and fax your Members of Congress in both the House and the Senate. You can also call your Member of Congress directly using the U.S. Capitol switchboard at: (202) 225-3121 ****** ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. To subscribe to ALAWON, send the message: subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname] to listproc@ala.org or go to http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. To unsubscribe to ALAWON, send the message: unsubscribe ala-wo to listproc@ala.org. ALAWON archives at http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. 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; Web site: http://www.ala.org/washoff. Executive Director: Emily Sheketoff. Office of Government Relations: Lynne Bradley, Director; Don Essex, Joshua Farrelman, Erin Haggerty, Patrice McDermott and Miriam Nisbet. Office for Information Technology Policy: Rick Weingarten, Director; Carrie Lowe, Kathy Mitchell, Carrie Russell. ALAWON Editor: Bernadette Murphy.