Report from the Trenches: ALA National Library Legistative Day

Late last month (February 25th-26th), I attended the National Library Legislative Day—an  annual event during which the American Library Association invites advocates from all fifty states to meet with their respective state Senators and House Representatives on Capitol Hill.  

Of the roughly two hundred individuals selected to participate, more than half were new to this event—myself included! Fortunately, the ALA provides a day-long “crash course” outlining best practices when meeting with lawmakers (or their staffers), and providing a list of key talking points in keeping with the organization’s primary asks for Fiscal Year 2027. These are: 

• Fully fund the Library Services & Technology Act (LSTA) at $232 million and sign the Dear Appropriator letter in support of LSTA 
• Fully fund Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) at $50 million and sign the Dear Appropriator letter in support of IAL Protect and strengthen the E-Rate program with sustainable, predictable, and long-term funding. 

On the second and final day of this event, my delegation (a group comprising library leaders, staff, students and volunteers across Maryland school, public and academic libraries) visited the offices of Maryland Senators Angela Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen, then divided into subgroups to meet with our respective congressmen. Following this, my group met with Representatives Johnny Olszewski, Jamie Raskin and Kweisi Mfume. As Rep. Mfume oversees my branch location and the surrounding area (Maryland’s 7th Congressional District), my colleagues kindly ceded the floor for this meeting, allowing me to convey observations and requests unique to our community—and even to extend an invitation for the Congressman to visit!

Ultimately, I would recommend next year’s National Library Legislative Day to “newbie” advocates and seasoned pros alike. If you’re eager to flex your advocacy muscles in the meantime, consider contacting your local representatives and asking them to sign the Dear Appropriator letters in support of LSTA and IAL! The deadline for signatures is March 20th. 

 Thanks so much for your time, and happy advocating!  

Christine Ercole, PNN

PCI Webinars difficulties are continuing

PCI webinars is having an issue with Zoom, and has to recreate their account.  This means that they lost access to all current registration lists, and need to create new links and have everyone re-register.

If you are registered for a PCI webinar for March or April, you will need to re-register once the new links become available.  We'll keep you posted about this issue.

The new link for the Managing the Afterschool Crowd at Your Library webinar on March 11 is below.  

 https://marylandlibraries.libcal.com/event/16231499

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Niche Academy site will be changing

Starting this month, the MD State Library Agency will be reviewing the contents of the Maryland Libraries Training Academy on Niche Academy site.  Current content will be evaluated and weeded based on age, usage, and accessibility, and the site will be reorganized once these changes are complete.

Please finish any tutorials/webinars that interest you by March 27, in preparation for changes to the site.  The MSLA will start removing content on March 30, and review the site every 6 months in the future.

CPR classes coming soon

If you would like to particiate in an upcoming Red Cross CPR/AED class, please complete the short survey here:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/78HL369

You don't need to leave your name, just your preferred location and date.