Re: [LM_NET] [CALIBK12] Urgent Message to Library Advocates (fwd)

[Anne Hinchcliff <ahinchcliff@SISKIYOUCOE.NET>]

Took me all of five minutes to do this. Is YOUR job worth saving? Speak up!

Anne



Anne Hinchcliff, Instructional Media Center Director/Librarian
Siskiyou County Office of Education
609 South Gold Street, Yreka CA 96097-3110
530.842.8430 - 530.842.8436 Fax

Providing Educational Leadership, Resources and Services to Districts and Schools 
to Ensure Learning For All Students

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http://www.siskiyoucoe.net-----Original Message-----
From: calibk12-bounces@lists.sjsu.edu [mailto:calibk12-bounces@lists.sjsu.edu] On 
Behalf Of Blanche Woolls
Sent: Monday, February 01, 2010 4:15 PM
To: California School Library Association
Subject: [CALIBK12] Urgent Message to Library Advocates (fwd)

This came to me from the CLA site. Please read it and then do something.

It is not a message that tells me something new and different. The ALA Washington 
Office has anguished over the years that when legislation is proposed, librarians 
in general and school librarians in particular do not get in touch with their 
members of Congress.

For too many years, we have depended totally upon Sandy Schuckett and John McGinnis 
and Barbara Jeffus to lead us, but they can't make you write that letter or make 
you make that telephone call or even go into the local office and talk with the 
staff there with your message that school libraries in California are dying and in 
many cases dead and truly buried.

We can't expect the Washington Office of ALA to do everything either. Not all of us 
are members of ALA or AASL, and their requests for responses don't get to your 
inbox.

If you want any help at all, you need to 1) contact your member of Congress, 2) get 
interested parents to do so, 3) get your students to learn a little about the 
political process and have them send messages.

Do we want school libraries to be scrunched into the literacy act by the Department 
of Education--a sure way to make sure school librarians will go away (or if they 
want to keep their jobs, become reading teachers).

Blanche

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon,  1 Feb 2010 18:42:47 -0500 (EST)
From: California Library Association <info@cla-net.org>
To: Blanche Woolls <bwoolls@slis.sjsu.edu>
Subject: Urgent Message to Library Advocates


URGENT MESSAGE TO LIBRARY ADVOCATES

Take Action!

February 1, 2010

ALA has reports from Congressional offices that they hear from teachers, police and 
firefighters every day and almost nothing from the library community.  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 the $18 billion 
as well. Call the U.S. Capital switchboard ASAP at 202.224.3121.  For email 
addresses and other contact information go to:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

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!!

Call the U.S. Capital switchboard ASAP at 202.224.3121.  For email addresses and 
other contact information go to:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Please act now!

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