Contact Legislators About State Funding for Libraries!

Advocacy for all libraries was an important issue during Library Leadership 2007. This long but important message from the Massachusetts Library Association Legislative Committee is a perfect opportunity for us all to JUST DO IT!

To the Library Community:

The Governor's Budget (House 2) came out last week, with disappointing
numbers for Library Line Items. Once more the funding for libraries
has failed to reach the levels budgeted for libraries prior to the
sharp reductions of FY2002--2004.

Are you aware that the "Cherry Sheet" Library Line Items (State Aid
and Regions) and Account 9506 are the only ones that have not
recovered or EXCEEDED FY2001 funding levels? Therefore, Regions, State
Aid and Line 9506 (Telecommunications and Resource Sharing) are still
millions of dollars below where they should be had those lines been
treated the same as all other local aid and other state funds! This
means less dollars in your State Aid check, more pressure on local
budgets to fund networks, and Regional services drastically reduced to
keep the delivery system running.

Now the economy is looking bleak, and we are once again going to be
told that there is no money for libraries! Let's not allow this to
happen!

MLA is asking EACH AND EVERY ONE of you to contact your state
legislators and ask them to give Massachusetts Libraries their FAIR
SHARE!

TAKE ACTION NOW!
In the next few weeks, State Representatives and Senators will be
asked by the leadership to list their 2 or 3 highest priorities for
funding in the state budget this year. Please call or write to your
state legislators IMMEDIATELY, and ask them to include libraries in
their priorities.

We suggest that you make an appointment, or go to their posted office
hours in the next few weeks, and make the case to them that libraries
have not been treated fairly with other state priorities over the last
8 years. It is time to give libraries a FAIR SHARE. Please try to
obtain from them a commitment that Libraries will be one of their
priorities this year.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS!
Pull together a team of Library Staff, Trustees, Friends and
supportive local officials. If you are in a district in which you
Legislator represents more than one town and/or library, pick up the
phone or write an email and work with your colleagues in other
libraries to coordinate a message or a visit to your Senator or
Representative. Library Staff, Trustees and Friends should all be
involved in advocating for more state funding for libraries!

BE PREPARED
For documents and information on the state budget, the MLA Legislative
Agenda, and on the Cherry Sheet Deficit for Libraries, go to:
http://www.masslib.org/lc/library_cherry_sheet_history_2008.pdf

For general information on Massachusetts Library Funding/Legislative
Issues go to:
http://capwiz.com/ala/ma/state/main/?state=MA

For information on your local funding impact click on:
http://www.mass.gov/?
pageID=dorterminal&L=5&L0=Home&L1=Local+Officials&L2=Municipal+Data+and
+Financial+Management&L3=Cherry+Sheets&L4=FY2009+Cherry+Sheets&sid=Ador
&b=terminalcontent&f=dls_cherry_09_cs09ct_wordrec&csid=Ador


We suggest you familiarize yourself with this information, print out
relevant material and present it to your legislator when you speak or
write to them.

FOLLOW UP AFTER
MLA wants to know what our Legislators are thinking about the budget
for libraries this year. Please help us out by passing along any
information you have from meetings, phone calls, or correspondence
with your Legislators by emailing Meredith McCulloch
(meredith.mcculloch@gmail.com) of the MLA Legislative Committee.
Meredith will be coordinating your responses. If you need advice
please contact us for help.

Thanks for your action! Let's make sure we gain some ground this
year. It has been too easy for Legislators to put libraries on the
back burner over the last 8 years....let's make sure they pay
attention to us in the next few weeks as the budget priorities are set!



MLA Legislative Committee
Co-Chairs:
Krista McLeod
Jackie Rafferty