One of the best ways to get legislators to listen (and, more important, support you) is to show them what your library does to benefit the community. Believe it or not, members of Congress still think of libraries as “those places with all the books.”
The good news is that your opportunities to make a real difference are just around the corner. Members of Congress and their staff will be coming back to their districts for the Thanksgiving and Winter District Work periods (exact dates to be determined).
Whether it’s a meeting with your trustees, friends or employees, a visit to your library or inviting legislators and staff to a holiday event, this session will offer practical tips for making these visits as worthwhile as possible.
Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 Time: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM EST
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The US Chamber of Commerce hosted the Institute of Competitive Workforce’s Education and Workforce Summit 2009 today. US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan gave the Opening Address and talked about the needs of our education system and why Race to the Top will be so important. Race to the Top Fund is a competitive one-time grant program funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that aims to encourage and reward states that are leading education innovation and reform.
I asked him how he could use the information literacy specialists – the school librarians – to address perceived needs. His answer was sort of vague platitudes, so I followed up asking him again what he will specifically do. He said that he needs to make sure that school administrators don’t cut school librarians or funds for school libraries.
Contact: Jenni Terry
ALA Washington Office Press Officer
For Immediate Release
November 6, 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee’s passage of the USA PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009 (H.R. 3845) yesterday put Congress back on track to achieve comprehensive reform of our nation’s surveillance laws, say the American Library Association (ALA) and the Association of Research Libraries (ARL).
“Chairman Conyers and other leaders in the House Judiciary Committee conducted a thorough, open debate of H.R. 3845,” ALA President Camila Alire said. “The weak bill the Senate released after closed-door negotiations would not provide library patrons with privacy online, but H.R. 3845 includes many provisions that will re-establish the balance between the needs of law enforcement and the rights of the American public.”
H.R. 3845 would restore reader privacy by curbing the use of secret court orders and National Security Letters to obtain library and bookstore records about innocent people. Other key protections in the bill include improved judicial review of investigations, new protections for librarians and others who receive gag orders from the government, and more oversight of how PATRIOT Act powers are being used.
The committee also approved an amendment from Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) expressing the sense of Congress that the President should periodically review secret surveillance programs to determine whether they should remain classified. The committee rejected several amendments that would have watered down or eliminated the bill’s civil liberties protections.
“We are grateful to the members of the House Judiciary Committee for reporting a bill that goes a long way toward restoring our civil liberties. We especially appreciate Mr. Nadler’s passionate defense of reader privacy during Wednesday’s mark-up,” said ARL President Brinley Franklin. “We urge the full House to pass these balanced reforms, and we hope the Senate will amend its bill to include similar provisions.”
The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee passed the USA PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009 (H.R. 3845) today with a vote of 16-10 after two days of lengthy debate.
Numerous amendments were offered during the debate, including an amendment from Rep. Gallegly (R-CA) that would have stripped the library exception completely from the bill. During the debate on this amendment, Reps. Watt (D-NC) and Nadler (D-NY) voiced support for libraries, and the amendment failed in a party-line vote of 21-13.
We are awaiting the release of the official language and will post additional information after further analysis. It is unclear when this bill will go to the House floor for a vote, and there are other pending bills including a bill from the House Intelligence Committee as well as a bill introduced by Rep. Holt (D-NJ).
Stay tuned!
Lynne Bradley
director, Office of Government Relations
Dr. Curtis Rogers (South Carolina State Library), Kristin Murphy (ALA Washington Office) and Stephanie Vance (Advocacy Guru) on how libraries can use social media techniques to capture the attention of policymakers and the public they represent — from townhall to Washington, DC! If you’re wondering how to use Web 2.0 to get heard on issues that matter to your library, this is the video to watch.
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Updates on library-related legislation and direct contact with your legislative representatives. 