[LM_NET] Gen: Contact Congressional Offices Today to Help Libraries

[Beth Yoke <byoke@ALA.ORG>]

Please feel free to distribute widely:

 

Call NOW to Include Libraries in the Jobs Bill & Help Your Community!  

 

As you know, libraries are helping unemployed Americans get back to work
not only by helping them acquire needed job skills, but also by offering
no-fee access to the Internet for online job searching, computers for
working on resumes, resources for building small business plans, and
much more.  Unfortunately, these very services are threatened by budget
shortfalls in state and local funding; due to these budget cuts, many
libraries may be forced to cut services and staff that are so incredibly
necessary during these tough economic times.

 

Right now, the House of Representatives is debating the Jobs for Main
Street Act, and this bill would provide funding to a variety of programs
aimed at creating jobs.  No other organization is as dynamic or as
well-equipped to build jobs as libraries, yet neither the House nor the
Senate version of this legislation mentions libraries or librarians.  By
including specific bill language that includes librarians, we can
continue to help people look for jobs, help people obtain their GED,
build valuable job skills, and much more.  To read the full proposal,
please go to www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/wo/libraryjobs.pdf 

 

The House is expected to vote on this legislation TODAY (Wed. Dec. 16).
Please call your representatives' offices TODAY and your senators'
offices tomorrow and encourage your library supporters and patrons to do
so as well.  Tell Congressional staffers that you would like to see
librarians included in the Jobs for Main Street Act and explain to them
that those funds are critical in putting librarians back to work so they
can help thousands of other people get back to work. 

 

SPECIFIC STORIES MAKE AN IMPRESSION!  Please tell them how librarians
connect unemployed community members to library resources to help them
get back to the workforce.  If you have had to lay off or furlough any
library workers or had to reduce hours of operation, tell them that.  If
you see an increase in people using the free Internet access more for
job applications than ever before, please tell them.  If you see people
attending your classes on resume writing now more than ever before,
please tell them.  Please tell them how giving YOU additional funding
and resources will help empower their thousands of constituents to get
back into the workforce.  

 

To find out who your members of Congress are, please visit
http://capwiz.com/ala/home/.  Every phone call is critical ... We MUST
reach every member of Congress within the next 48 hours!

 

BACKGROUND FOR JOBS FOR MAIN STREET ACT

1. Libraries play a key role in getting America back to work again.
Nationwide, the library is the only source of no-fee Internet access for
71 percent of Americans. With more and more job applications only being
accepted online, the public library is becoming the center of most
American's job searches.

 

2. State Library Agencies reported in November 2009 that 77 percent of
states cut funds that support local public libraries, which has meant
layoffs, staff furloughs, hiring freezes and forced retirements. This
has caused a 75 percent cut in services to the public including canceled
statewide databases used for job searching, homework help, and cuts in
24/7 reference, which are used by small businesses and students.

 

3. ALA's proposal
(http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/wo/libraryjobs.pdf) for saving
libraries and helping America get back to work would be to provide a
one-time $650 million to be distributed on a need basis through the
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

 

4. This proposal would create up to 13,000 library jobs in a few short
months meaning this is a shovel-ready project.

 

5. The money would be used for library jobs that are focused on
assisting patrons with getting back to work - thereby having the impact
of assisting literally millions of Americans find employment. None of
these funds would be used for facilities or equipment.

 

6. These funds would be distributed in a clear, concise, affirmative
manner. Funds would be distributed to states using a formula through
IMLS based 50 percent on population, and 50 percent on relative
unemployment (similar to the Department of Labor's Dislocated Worker
Program).

 

7. The Chief State Library Officer in each state would be responsible
for distributing funds to local public libraries based on their local
needs.

 

8. A minimum amount of funding per library could offer one library staff
job per building based upon need and a maximum of five full-time staff.

 

9. Funds would be limited to hiring back staff released due to budget
cuts, recruiting new staff and/or expanding staff services around job
searching and employment skills training.

 

Thank you for all the work you do to ensure that your community members
have access to excellent library services and resources! 

-Beth

 

Beth Yoke, Executive Director

Young Adult Library Services Association

fastest growing division of ALA

50 E. Huron St. Chicago, IL 60611

1.800.545.2433 x4391

fax: 312.280.5276

Download YALSA's Advocacy Toolkit
http://tinyurl.com/YAadvocacy   

byoke@ala.org <mailto:byoke@ala.org> 

 


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