[LM_NET] GEN: Do this TODAY: Literacy Through School Libraries -- AN EXPLANATION

[Sara Kelly Johns <sarakellyjohns@YAHOO.COM>]

Please excuse cross-postings. 

Sandy Shuckett, long time activist for school library advocacy, posted this great 
explanation on AASLForum with the reasons to take the time to go to the ALA 
Washington Office action site to  contact your Representatives, asking them to 
call Joseph Mais in order to co-sign the letter at 202.225.2435.
http://capwiz.com/ala/issues/alert/?alertid=13037141

THANKS, Sara

 
From: Sara Kelly Johns <skjohns@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [aaslforum] Literacy Through School Libraries -- AN EXPLANATION
To: aq061@lafn.org
Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2009, 5:35 AM

THANKS so much for posting this great explanation, Sandy...Capwiz will walk the 
people through reaching the right Congress members. It's SO easy and so crucial for 
everyone to take action today


On Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 8:51 PM, Sandy Schuckett <aq061@lafn.org> wrote:








I have received many questions in regard to my request that 
people contact their U.S. Congress members and urge them to sign on to Rep. Raul 
Grijalva's "Dear Colleague" letter. Here are some facts. It's kinda long, but if 
you're not sure how Congress and federal funding work, please read it 
carefully....it's important. (If you already know how this works and have 
already contacted your own U.S. Rep, then you can ignore the rest of this 
message.......and -- thanks!)
 
1. Literacy Through School Libraries is currently a 
GRANT program, and California school libraries have received a VERY MINIMAL 
amount of this money over the years since it has been in effect. It is currently 
funded at $19.6 million (which wouldn't even be enough for California) for the 
whole country.
 
2. Legislation will be introduced asking 
that this program be funded at $100 million for FY 2010. 
This figure is the trigger that CHANGES IT FROM A GRANT PROGRAM and 
sends the money directly to State Departments of Education, where the money is 
then EQUALLY DISTRIBUTED to every public school in the state on a per-student 
basis.
 
3. If Rep.Grijalva can walk into the House of 
Representatives with 200+ signatures of his congressional 
colleagues from around the country, then he can show that people 
(constituents) really care about this issue. If he can't, then there is a BIG 
possibility that Congress can decide to TOTALLY DEFUND it, since people 
obviously don't care. This will create a situation that is even worse than the 
minimal grant program that now exists. It will mean ZERO federal support for 
school libraries. Rep. Grijalva has been one of our major heroes in the 
area of federal support for school libraries, and he is going out of his way to 
make this happen by creating his "Dear Colleague" letter.
 
4. ACT NOW! The deadline is 
tomorrow, April 1st.  It would be a 
cruel April Fools prank if federal funding for school libraries is ended in this 
Congress because people didn't take a few minutes to ask their congress members 
to sign on to Rep. Grijalva's letter. This happened in 1996 when school library 
legislation was cleared 'off the books' because, as one legislator said, "I 
didn't hear anything from any of MY constituents about 
this."
 
5. If you don't know how to reach your own U.S. Rep. go to http://thomas.loc.gov  
Look for 'House of 
Representatives' in the left-hand column, and click on it. At the top of the 
next page, you can do one of two things: a) find your Representative by entering 
your zip code+4, and then contact them; or b) find your Representative's Web 
site by looking at an alphabetical list. Once you get to your Rep's. Web site, 
you will find a place where you can click and send them an e-mail. 
 
This is crucial......please do it today -- tomorow at the 
latest. Political Advocacy works -- but only if you DO IT! Your students 
will thank you.
 
ss
Sandy Schuckett
California School Library Assn.
Liaison 
to CTA
2312 Claremont Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90027
323-665-9811
aq061@lafn.org

Urgent Call to Action! 
Sign onto Dear Colleague supporting library funding by Congressman Grijalva!


 
Please
contact your Representative and ask him or her to sign the "Dear
Colleague" letter being circulated by Congressman Raul Grijalva in
support of funding for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA)
and the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries Program. 

The deadline to sign the letter is Wednesday April 1!  LSTA
and Improving Literacy Through School Libraries are two of the most
important federal programs for libraries today.  The letter will not be
taken seriously, and it will appear as if Members of Congress do not
care about libraries if we don't have hundreds of signers on the
letter. Programs that don't have a vocal support network are in danger
of being cut. 

The letter is addressed to the House
Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriation
Subcommittees and requests that the House include $300 million for the
Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and $100 million for the
Improving Literary Through School Libraries program for FY 2010.
 
When you contact your Representative, you must ask him or her to call Joseph 
Mais in order to co-sign the letter at 202.225.2435.
http://capwiz.com/ala/issues/alert/?alertid=13037141
 
Melanie Anderson
Associate Director, Office of Government Relations
American Library Assocation
1615 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 628-8410 (Main)
(202) 403-8216 (Direct)
(202) 321-0727 (Cell)
(202) 628-8419 (Fax)
www.ala.org/knowyourstimulus




-- 
Sara Kelly Johns
Immediate Past President
American Association of School Librarians (AASL)
Associate Editor for AASL Community, Knowledge Quest
Library Media Specialist, Lake Placid Middle/Senior HS LMC

34 School Street
Lake Placid, NY 12946
W: 518-523-2474, ext. 4132
Fax: 518-523-4861
johns@northnet.org
skjohns@gmail.com


"Information is the currency of democracy." -- Thomas Jefferson



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