Budget Cuts - NO WAY!

Advocacy!  It's that Time of Year - Friends and Library Lovers, watch your local governments, county and state governments.  It is Budget Time and it's time for cuts in many places. 

Here's an example of what a grassroots level can do!!  Way to Go! Thanks to everyone that made the call - Our Work has just begun.

Beth Nawalinski
Marketing & Communications Director
Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF)
American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/altaff


From: Kristin K. Murphy [mailto:kmurphy@alawash.org]
Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2011 3:45 PM
To: fllan@ala.org; nlld@ala.org; alacro-l@ala.org; alacro-l@ala.org; legnet@ala.org; aladnow@ala.org
Cc: Marci Merola
Subject: [aladnow] We did it!


Good work, everybody! Because of ALA’s unprecedented grassroots efforts this week on amendment #35 to H.R. 1 (the Continuing Resolution to the FY2011 budget) was defeated! This victory for libraries is undoubtedly due to the strong grassroots efforts of librarians and library supporters all across the country.

As you recall, late Monday evening U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ-5) introduced an amendment that would eliminate all funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) including funding for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), the primary source of federal dollars to libraries.

Today, as the U.S. House of Representatives wraps up floor debate on HR 1, Rep. Garrett has made it clear to us that he is no longer “pushing” for a vote on his amendment. Once the House passes H.R. 1, - likely today or tomorrow - the budget will be sent over to the Senate where they will have the opportunity to make amendments and vote on this year’s budget bill.

Even though we overcame this amendment, our work is not done. H.R. 1 still has to be approved by the Senate and signed by the President. Please tell your friends, library users and advocates that their voices will be needed on library issues in the weeks and months to come.

Also, libraries face cuts in President Obama’s FY2012 budget request sent to Congress on February 14. In his request, President Obama cuts funding to LSTA by $20 million as well as consolidates Improving Literacy Through School Libraries with other literacy programs in the Department of Education. ALA needs you to continue your calls to Congress in our fight to protect library funding in FY’12.

This is only the beginning; libraries will continue to be threatened in the next Congress. Now, more than ever, we need your participation on May 9-10, 2011 at ALA’s National Library Legislative Day in Washington D.C. where you will have the opportunity to meet with your members of Congress and explain to them why cutting library funding would be short-sighted. To register for NLLD, please go to www.ala.org/nlld.

Kristin Murphy
Government Relations Specialist
American Library Association - Washington Office
1615 New Hampshire Ave. NW, First Floor
Washington, D.C., 20009-2520
Phone Number: 202.628.8410
kmurphy@alawash.org

Take action for libraries! Visit our Legislative Action Center at http://bit.ly/legaction

Mail Bag

Hi Folks,
It's the end of a very busy week and I received this email today.  This was a series of emails between Anne and myself about using the PayPal option on their website.  They discussed the idea and passed it at one of their board meetings and now it is on their site.

Congratulations to Anne and the Friends at the Burlington Library.  You can see, they will be continuing to improve their communictions with their members!

Send me your successes - let us celebrate with you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Patty,

Thank you so much for using our new pay pal donation option. Your $10 donation will be put into the "greatest need" fund. This fund is used to help the Burlington Public Library fund more books, museum passes and landscaping costs among other programs.

I have recently received good news from our Treasurer who reports that we received about $2500 more in 2010 than 2009. May is our annual campaign when we will be sending out our annual newsletter. I will make sure that one is sent to you. I also am going to look into putting the newsletter into a "pdf" file to be viewed on our website.

With appreciation,
Anne Walluk
Burlington Library Association
"Friends of the Library"

FOCL Point

The Winter 2011 issue of Friends of Connecticut Libraries' FOCL POINT has just arrived. You can reach them at their website.  If you are a member, then you know what a great newsletter it is.

If you are not a member, consider joining your self or make sure your Friends group is a member.

This issue discuss the 2010 Annual Conference, reminder of the Call for the FOCL Awards 2011, Annual meeting is June 4th in South Windsor, CLA Conference is May 2nd and at 2:40 pm Friends will be on a panel, Connecticut Book Festival for May 21-22.

What's really happening - Saturday April 9th - FOCL will be presenting Mini Boot Camp for new Freinds Presidents, Book Sale Chairs, and anyone else that needs a spring shot in the arm.  See the link above !

Strategy vs. Tactics

I ran across this video - how is your Friends Group doing both of these tasks.  The followng video speak to the difference, and why both are required by our Boards.

Go Bethel Friends !

Congratulations to the Friends of the Bethel Public Library in Bethel Connecticut.  Their donation of another $25,000 to the library's capital campaign has practacially completed the $2.5 million goal.

The countdown continues for another month or so as that is when the deadline to raise the matching grants from the state.

Let's all give them a Congrats and send good wishes on the last dollars that they need.

Read more about it.   Bethel Friends of Library push capitol campaign

Censorship in Connecticut

Not a pretty subject and it should not be part of any Library discussion except for the fact that libraries are a place where no censorship exists.  Libraries and the public have been plagued by this behavior over the centuries.  Today is no different - sad to say that it exists right here in my own state. 

Yet there are small minds among us.  I appreciate that we all have opinions, yet I do not appreciate that my choice should be limited by them.  So here's a town government fighting over airing a 2007 film.  The airing was cancelled - Shame on them!

One note - see the article below - one resident complained?  Hmmm ...  I think we need to get some advocacy working here!  When is the next election?


Eyewitness News3 http://www.wfsb.com/news/26559608/detail.html
Library Cancels Movie Under Pressure

Library Director: Mayor Threatened To Cut Funding


ENFIELD, Conn. -- The Enfield Public Library has canceled a screening of the Michael Moore documentary "Sicko" about the American health care system under pressure from the town council and mayor, prompting accusations of censorship.

The screening was canceled Wednesday, a day after a resident complained about the film at a council meeting.


Several councilors objected to the film, and Republican Mayor Scott Kaupin asked the town manager to talk to library Director Henry Dutcher. Dutcher said that he was told by the town manager to cancel the screening. Kaupin called the decision to show the movie "stupid" and threatened the library's funding.

Democratic City Councilor member Cynthia Mangini called it censorship.Peter Chase, chairman of the Connecticut Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee, called the decision "absolutely deplorable." 

Mail Bag

Hello to all and Happy New Year
Wishing you all a great year with your Friends group.  I'd like to start the new year out with a special quote.  It's one that speaks to the who and how our Friends groups come together and create the greatness for each of our libraries.

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

To start the new year off,  I'm going to the Mail Bag to let everyone know about Burlington's accomplishment. We all need to embrace using the Web for all it offers.  Mind you not you can not exclude the personal touch when it comes to membership. Remember those hand written notes go a long way to say Thank You to our members.
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Patty,
I attended the FOCL conference where you spoke this past fall and was enthusiastic about your ideas for gaining membership. After discussing some ideas our "friends" Board voted to set up a pay pal account to allow people to donate on our website: http://www.friendsburlib.org/. Now we will work on getting the news out. Thanks for the encouragement.

Anne Walluk, President, Burlington Library Association, "Friends of the Library"