49 states represented at 26th Library Legislative Day

摘要

More than 500 library advocates from every state except Hawaii, as well as representatives from the District of Columbia, Canada, and Slovakia, attended the 26th annual National Library Legislative Day May 2. The event was sponsored by ALA and the District of Columbia Library Association. State delegations met with their senators and representatives and their staffs throughout the day, focusing their lobbying efforts on four key issues: reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, database protection, appropriations, and Internet filtering mandates. The event concluded with a congressional reception. "We had set a goal of having every state represented at this year's event," said Chad Raymond, chair of ALA's Committee on Legislation. "We are thrilled that we had virtually 100% participation." Noting the absence of participants from the Aloha State, he said, "We don't have paradise here, but we have Canada and Slovakia." The Iowa delegation was accompanied on its rounds by a quartet of librarians from Slovakia who had come to the U.S. to observe the political process. Matt Kollasch, director of instructional resources and technology services at the Universityof Northern Iowa College of Education, explained that the visit was part of SK-Libris, a two-year project to foster relations between Slovak library and information professionals and their American counterparts. Kollasch said the Slovak librarians were impressed by "how the library community comes together to discuss these issues" and to see "so many librarians speaking together in a chorus." Before heading off to their appointments, the lobbyists attended a morning briefing session where they were welcomed by Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), who plans to reintroduce an amendment to ESEA to provide funding for school libraries. Reed sent them off with the message, "Tell them if they love libraries, vote for the Reed amendment.