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National Advocacy for School Libraries |
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Library Advocacy Day, Washington DC: Tuesday, June 29, 2010A letter from ALA President, Camila Alire
Dear Mr. PresidentA letter from Buffy Hamilton, shared on School Library Journal February 4, 2010
Jobs Bill does not include Librarians Out of Work Librarians Need Your Help NOW! (February 5, 2010)
From Kristin Murphy, American Library Association Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced yesterday that he will bring the Senate's $80 billion version of the Jobs for Main Street Act or the "jobs bill" to the Senate floor sometime next week.
Libraries are not in this bill, and it is more important than ever that you call your Senators and encourage them to include librarians in the $20.5 billion section that is being used to hire and retain teachers, police, and firefighters.
Also, if you are in a state where librarians are represented by a union, please have your local union contact your national union to contact the Senate.
Please call your Senators today at the U.S. Capital switchboard: 202-224-3121 Libraries are as essential as schools and public safety and help the economy by helping people find jobs. Yet library jobs are being cut - and, now, not included in this jobs bill. It is vitally important that librarians be as vocal as these other public employees. The reason they are getting funding in this piece of legislation is because they are calling their congressional offices more often and in higher numbers than we are.
Your grassroots efforts are critically important. The omission of librarians in the jobs bill is in addition to the troubling news this week that President Obama's budget proposal freezes the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and consolidates the school library program with literacy programs in the Department of Education. These cuts will lead to a loss of jobs and a loss of services that our communities cannot afford to be without.
Please call both of your U.S. Senators to ask each of them to request that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), include the hiring and retaining of librarians in their jobs bill.
This bill could come up at any moment and it is critically important that you contact your Senators' offices immediately and tell them to push the above Senate leaders to include librarians in the jobs bill. Don't just call once - keep calling until we succeed. Make sure to tell your senators what your library is doing to help people find jobs.
We cannot let this legislation pass without the inclusion of library employees. We have no chance of getting into this legislation without your calls and emails - and the support of all senators!! |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 07 February 2010 )
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ALA Advocacy Day June 29, 2010 |
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 As you know, the ALA 2010 Annual Conference will be in Washington, D.C. this summer, June 25-June 29th. We are looking for another large turnout in D.C.! To take advantage of our location next to Capitol Hill, ALA will be hosting a national Library Advocacy Day (LAD) rally on Tuesday, June 29.
LAD will bring together thousands of librarians, trustees, friends and library supporters starting at 11:00am at the United State Park on the U.S. Capitol grounds. Each state will rally with banners and signs supporting libraries! We'd love for you to be part of your state delegation and to visit congressional offices after the rally. Please plan to join us on Tuesday, June 29 for Library Advocacy Day! Visit www.ala.org/lad for more information and to get started. ALA will provide transportation to and from the convention center for all those going to the rally. We will also have luggage check-in at the convention center if you have a flight leaving later in the day. I know that Library Advocacy Day will be a highlight of my conference. I hope that you can participate - and speak up to Congress about libraries, too! When registering for the ALA 2010 Annual Conference at www.ala.org/annual , be sure to choose 'Rally for Libraries - Library Advocacy Day' in Special Events section of the registration form. There is no additional charge to participate in LAD, but we'd like you to let us know by registering for Library Advocacy Day event. Please visit www.ala.org/lad to keep up to date on preparations for Library Advocacy Day.
Hope to see you there! Sincerely, 
Camila A. Alire
President
American Library Association |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 06 February 2010 )
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With your help, the MSLA/MLA joint Legislative Day at the State House in Boston on Tuesday, March 9th can have an important impact on library programs in Massachusetts. Members will receive a mailing with a detachable postcard; please mail it by March 1st. You can find the name of your legislators through the state legislature webpage Make additional postcards to send to ALL your legislators - get the names of legislators from your work and home districts. Dear Legislator, Please join us on Tuesday, March 9 for Library Legislative Day at the State House. As a school librarian from your district, I would like to invite you to join members of the Massachusetts Library Association (MLA) and the Massachusetts School Library Association (MSLA) for: - Presentation of awards to studentwinners of the annual MSLA Bookmark Contest at the Grand Staircase at 10:0
- Rally for our regional library systems on the State House steps at 11:00
- Lunch, featuring Massachusetts author Moying Li, winner of the Massachusetts Center for the Book's Nonfiction Award, and presentation of the MLA Advocacy Award to a Massachusetts legislator at 12 noon
For more information about Legislative Day and MSLA Bookmark Award winners, visit:
MLA at www.masslib.org
MSLA at www.maschoolibraries.org
Sincerely, |
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MSLA Crisis Assistance ToolsSix Things to Do Right Now as Budget Decisions are Being Made
DOWNLOAD: Word Document PDF Document Letter to your Administrators/School Committee
Adapt for your needs. Or, contact Executive Director Kathy Lowe to have MSLA to send this letter on your behalf.
DOWNLOAD: Word Document PDF Document Letter from MSLA president, Sandy Kelly
To MA superintendents late May 2009.
DOWNLOAD: Word Document PDF Document MSLA Advocacy Initiative Wiki
A wealth of tips and tools; use this resource for local advocacy efforts and presentations. STRENGTHEN your program....the next steps
Suggestions for "adding value" to your program and to your personal credentials
This is a terrific kit from the American Association of School Libraries "If you are looking at the AASL Crisis Toolkit, chances are your program is danger of being reduced or eliminated. This kit is designed to assist you as you build meaningful and effective support for saving your program. That means educating and rallying stakeholders to speak out on behalf of school libraries." |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 28 January 2010 )
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2010 Legislation Advocacy |
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Legislative Breakfasts
Scheduled January 29 through March 5th
March 9th is Legislation Day: Be There!PRESS RELEASE: Rally at 2010 Legislation Day
POSTCARD TO LEGISLATORS Mail to your legislators from your home and work districts by MARCH 1st
The annual MLA-MSLA Legislation Day is Tuesday March 9th at the Massachusetts State House in Boston from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
SAVE OUR REGIONAL LIBRARY SYSTEM! MLA and MSLA join in lobbying to save the Regions from proposed budget cuts.
All MSLA members are urged to join in this important effort to show lawmakers the important role of libraries as "agents of recovery" as we help the public with services they need right now--from books and videos to computer access. Schedule: 10:00 a.m. MSLA Bookmark Awards Ceremony at the Grand Staircase11:00 a.m. Rally for Massachusetts Libraries on the State House steps12:00 p.m. Lunch, featuring author Moying Li, winner of the Massachusetts Center for the Book Nonfiction Award, and presentation of the MLA Advocacy Award to a legislator Visit with local representatives and state senators throughout the day
TRANSPORTATION from the West: Take the Bus! |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 12 February 2010 )
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MSLA has developed a wiki that describes its advocacy initiatives. The MSLA Advocacy Initiatives wiki provides links to advocacy resources and documents created or collected by MSLA, with an outline for a workshop designed to enlist parents as advocates. MSLA members and other school library supporters are encouraged to use it as a resource for local advocacy efforts and presentations. |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 02 March 2008 )
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MAKE A DONATION to support professionally staffed and adequately funded school libraries for ALL students in Massachusetts.MSLA thanks you for your support!
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 14 June 2008 )
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Position Statement on School Libraries in the Commonwealth of MassachusettsThe Massachusetts School Library Association endorses the following recommendations of the American Library Association and the American Association of School Librarians on the value and staffing of school library media programs. In today's information age, an individual's success, even existence, depends largely on the ability to access, evaluate and utilize information. Library media specialists are leaders in carrying out the school's instructional program through their separate but overlapping roles of information specialist, teacher and instructional consultant. To guarantee every young person an equal and effective educational opportunity, officials must provide each school with library media facilities and resources to meet curriculum needs. District administrators must also ensure that each school's staff includes highly qualified library media teachers and support personnel to carry out the mission of the instructional program. School library media specialists have a broad undergraduate education with a liberal arts background and hold a masters degree or equivalent from a program that combines academic and professional preparation in library and information science, education, management, media, communications theory, and technology. The academic program of study includes directed field experience in a library media program, coordinated by a faculty member, in cooperation with an experienced library media specialist. Library media specialists meet state certification requirements for both the library media specialist and professional educator classifications. While there may be many practicing library media specialists who have only an undergraduate degree and whose job performance is outstanding, the masters degree is considered the entry-level degree for the profession. Although staffing patterns are developed to meet local needs, certain basic staffing requirements can be identified. Staffing patterns must reflect the following principles: All students, teachers, and administrators in each school building at all grade levels must have access to a library media program provided by one or more certificated library media specialists working full-time in the school’s library media center. Adopted October 2005 ~~~~~~~~~~~~ "AASL Position Statement on Preparation of School Library Media Specialists." American Library Association. 2005. 15 June 2005 <http://www.ala.org/aasl/positions/ps_prepschool.html>.
"AASL Position Statement on Appropriate Staffing for School Library Media Centers." American Library Association. 2005. 15 June 2005 <http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/positionstatements/
aaslpositionstatementappropriate.htm>. |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 22 February 2008 )
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Advocacy