A farewell message from Emily Sheketoff, executive director of ALA's Washington Office

摘要

2017 has been a very different year in many ways. A new kind of president. A chaotic budget process in the U.S. Congress. My departure from ALA. Not that these conflate, but that is the world we're inhabiting. What is not different is the dedication of library advocates. When President Trump released his "skinny budget" devoid of details in March, his proposal to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)-and with it the library funding that went through the agency-was enough to set library advocates from around the country into action. Together, we convinced one-third of the entire House of Representatives, from both parties, to sign letters to the House Appropriations Committee in support of two federal library programs-the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL).