The House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education held a hearing on Thursday, November 19, to examine ways to improve literacy skills in children and young adults.  During this hearing, long-time library champion Representative Vernon Ehlers (R-MI-3) took the lead and brought libraries to the forefront of discussion.

Mr. Ehlers stated that “he believed that libraries played an important role in literacy” and that he learned to read as a child by going to his local library when he could not attend school.  He went on to ask the panel of education and literacy experts testifying at the hearing how Congress could utilize libraries to advance the literacy skills of our nation’s young students.  Witness Dr. Dorothy Strickland, a professor at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, reiterated the ALA’s position that every school library should employ a state-certified school librarian.

“We thank Congressman Ehlers for appropriately inserting libraries into this discussion, as libraries and librarians are a vital resource for increasing the literacy skills of today’s youth,” ALA President Camila Alire said.

Jeff Kratz
Assistant Director, OGR

Hi, friends of libraries.

You probably noticed things look a little different here. We at the Washington Office have decided to make some changes to the look and feel of our blog. The timely and substantive information you’ve come to expect from us, however, will remain the same.

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Jacob Roberts
ALA Washington Office
Communications Specialist
jroberts@alawash.org

Contact: Jenni Terry
Press Officer, ALA Washington Office

For Immediate Release

Washington, D.C. – Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Washington Office, today filed testimony for the official record of the House Committee on Education and Labor’s Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education’s hearing, “Improving Literacy Skills of Children and Young Adults.”

The comments highlighted the contributions of librarians and library programs in both public and school libraries in improving the literacy skills of children and young adults.

“Public librarians have embraced their responsibility to be the first literacy coach for parents and caregivers of all children, especially children in low-income families,” Sheketoff states in her comments. “Some services provided to these families include bookmobile and storytelling mobiles, story-time kits and early literacy classes for child-care providers, Head Start staff and parents.”

Sheketoff’s testimony underscored the impact of school libraries in both traditional and technology literacy through the role of school librarians who are the central teachers who know the school’s curriculum and effective techniques necessary to cross disciplines.

The ALA supports both the House and Senate versions of the Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation (LEARN) Act, which contain various provisions to support libraries in the development and implementation of early learning through grade 12 literacy programs.

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Contact: Jenni Terry
Press Officer
ALA Washington Office
202-628-8410

For Immediate Release
November 12, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Library Association (ALA) Washington Office is calling for nominations for two awards to honor individuals or groups who have championed, protected and promoted public access to government information and the public’s right to know.

The James Madison Award, named in honor of President James Madison, was established in 1986 to celebrate an individual or group who has brought awareness to these issues at the national level.  Madison is widely regarded as the Father of the Constitution and as the foremost advocate for openness in government.

The Eileen Cooke State & Local Madison Award honors an extraordinary leader who has built local grassroots awareness of the importance of access to information. Cooke, former director of the ALA Washington Office, was a tireless advocate for the public’s right to know and a mentor to many librarians and trustees.

Both awards are presented during Freedom of Information (FOI) Day, an annual event on or near March 16, Madison’s birthday.

Nominations should be submitted to the ALA Washington Office no later than February 6, 2010.  Submissions should include a statement (maximum one page) about the nominee’s contribution to public access to government information and why it merits the award and one seconding letter. Please include a brief biography and contact information for the nominee.

Send e-mail nominations to Jessica McGilvray, Assistant Director for the ALA Office of Government Relations, at jmcgilvray@alawash.org. Submissions can also be mailed to:

James Madison Award / Eileen Cooke Award
American Library Association
Washington Office
1615 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20009-2520

More information on the award, including a list of previous winners, can be found here.

The ALA Washington Office will be participating in the Google Policy Fellowship program for the summer of 2010. Google Policy Fellows work for ten weeks during the summer at ALA Washington or at other public interest organizations involved in debates on broadband and access policy, copyright reform, online privacy, and open government. In particular, ALA encourages master’s and doctoral students in library and information studies with an interest in national public policy to apply for this fellowship.

This year’s host organizations include: American Library Association, Cato Institute, Center for Democracy and Technology, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Internet Education Foundation, Media Access Project, New America Foundation, Public Knowledge, Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, The Citizen Lab, Creative Commons, Future of Music Coalition, Progress and Freedom Foundation, Technology Policy Institute. Host organizations new in 2010 are The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and National Hispanic Media Coalition.

Check out the Google Policy Fellow website for pertinent details. Applications are due Monday, December 28, 2009.