White House responds to online petition to support school libraries

The White House has responded to the We the People online petition in support of school libraries. The petition was started in January and received over 28,000 signatures. To see the petition and the White House response, go to the We the People web site. For some commentary on the White House’s response, check out the blog of Carl Harvey, who introduced the petition. (For more background on this petition, see the earlier blog post.)

White House Petition for School Libraries exceeds 25,000 signatures

Just after 10:30am on January 31^st, the number of signatures reached 25,000 on the White House Petition for School Libraries. By the deadline of February 4^th, there were 27,400 signatures. Now the Obama administration will assign experts to the topic and issue an official response. (See the earlier blog post for more information about the petition.) A School Library Journal article discusses this successful advocacy effort.

Many thanks to everyone who signed the online petition!

Action Alert! White House Petition for School Libraries!

Support funding for school library programs! Sign an online petition to the White House to ask that the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provide dedicated funding to help support effective school library programs. Even if you do not work in school libraries, please consider participating in this advocacy effort. The petition needs 25,000 signatures by February 4^th.

The petition is available at http://wh.gov/Wgd.

The petition web site can be temperamental, especially when it experiencing high traffic volume. If you run into problems, you are encouraged to try again later.

White House petitions on We the People must be authored by individuals, not any association. Therefore, Carl Harvey, 2011-2012 President of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), has introduced this petition as an individual, not as a representative of AASL or the American Library Association (ALA). We the People is a new tool that allows an individual to petition the Obama Administration online. If a petition gets at least 25,000 signatures, White House staff will review it, send it to the appropriate experts and issue an official response.

Thanks in advance for any advocacy efforts you can provide!

Action Alert! Monday 11am Twitter bomb; ESEA hearing not to include school libraries

Since school libraries were not included in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) bill that passed out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, they will also not be included in the Senate’s ESEA hearing on Tuesday, November 8^th.

The American Library Association Washington Office (ALA-WO) would like to make people aware of this slight and they need your help. If you use Twitter or know people who do, please take part in and/or publicize the upcoming Twitter bomb.

In order to create a concentrated Twitter bomb, ALA-WO is requesting that you send the following tweet out on Monday, November 7^th at 11:00am Eastern time:

Senate holding #ESEA hearing 11/8 & #SchoolLibraries aren’t included. Why?! Good #schools need good #libraries!

For people who want to send the tweet directly at one of Maryland’s Senators, there are enough remaining characters to do so.

For Senator Mikulski:

@SenatorBarb Senate holding #ESEA hearing 11/8 & #SchoolLibraries aren’t included. Why?! Good #schools need good #libraries!

For Senator Cardin:

@SenatorCardin Senate holding #ESEA hearing 11/8 & #SchoolLibraries aren’t included. Why?! Good #schools need good #libraries! 

Thanks in advance for your advocacy and your assistance to spread the word!

 

Request for Stories on State of School Libraries

Thank you to everyone who contacted Senator Mikulski and ask for her support of school libraries! She did sign on. However, while the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) did pass out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee, it did not include the Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries (SKILLs) Act or any amendment to support school libraries. (For more information, please see the Legislative Panel’s blog post.)

The school libraries amendment is expected to be re-introduced on the Senate floor, so there is still time to help! The American Library Association Washington Office is seeking stories about the state of school libraries that illustrate the consequences of underfunded school library programs. These stories will be used to help make the case to Senators for the need to reauthorize ESEA with the school libraries amendment.

For more information about what types of stories they are looking for and where to send them, please see the request below from the American Library Association Washington Office.

Thank you in advance for any stories and support you can provide!

Request for stories from the American Library Association Washington Office:

ESEA passes out of committee without school library amendment

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) passed out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee today and Senator Mikulski did vote for the bill. However the amendment in support of school libraries was withdrawn due to lack of support. One of the sponsors of the amendment has stated that he would like to introduce an amendment to the full Senate, so there may be another opportunity. For more details, please see the District Dispatch posting.

Thank you to everyone who contacted Senator Mikulski asking her to support  school libraries! If an amendment is introduced on the Senate floor, then we will need your help again with contacting both Senators.

Action Alert! Ask Senator Mikulski to Support School Libraries ESEA Amendment

——————————————————————————————————

10/21/2011 Update: ESEA passed out of committee without the school libraries amendment. For details, please see the Legislative Panel blog posting.

——————————————————————————————————

Thank you to everyone who has already contacted Senator Mikulski to ask for her support of school libraries in the Elementary & Secondary Education Act (ESEA) through the Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries (SKILLs) Act! Here is another opportunity to contact Senator Mikulski and help school libraries by asking her to vote for an amendment that will be introduced on Wednesday, October 19^th. Please read on for more information, including talking points, from the American Library Association (ALA). 

The Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee is scheduled to mark-up (vote on) the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) beginning on Wednesday, October 19.  As of now, Senator Murray (D-WA) has done a good job including libraries into the legislation; however there are still areas where there needs to be more.  There is an amendment that will be introduced during the mark-up by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) that will further address school libraries’ role in education.

Senator Mikulski sits on the Senate HELP committee and will be voting on this amendment when it is introduced.  Please call Senator Mikulski today at 202-224-4654 and ask her to support the Whitehouse/Murray amendment on school libraries.

This legislation, if passed, will impact education policy in this country for years to come, so it is critically important that we make sure libraries are included in this bill.

For more information about why this vote is so critical, please see the District Dispatch posting.

Thanks in advance for any advocacy efforts!

Talking Points:

Action Alert! Contact Senators to co-sponsor SKILLs Act & support school libraries

Many thanks to everyone who has already contacted Senators Mikulski and Cardin asking them to co-sponsor the Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries (SKILLs, S 1328) Act and support school libraries! The American Library Association Washington Office (ALA-WO) is making another push for more phone calls. A Capwiz Action Alert with talking points is available.

When you enter your ZIP code on the Action Alert, you have the opportunity to complete a feedback form describing your phone call. ALA-WO has received 66 of these feedback forms and is hoping to receive 150 of them by the end of Thursday. Please take the time to complete the form.

Action Alert! It’s not too late to ask Senators to co-sponsor SKILLs Act and help school libraries

If you have already contacted Senators Mikulski and Cardin to ask them to co-sponsor the Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries (S 1328), then thank you!  If not, it’s not too late!

As of now, neither of Maryland’s Senators has co-sponsored the bill.  The bill would ensure effective school libraries by amending the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which is up for reauthorization.  Even if you are not a school librarian, please consider contacting the Senators.  For more details and links to talking points and contact information, please see the earlier blog posting. 

Thank you in advance for any advocacy efforts!

Action Alert! Ask Senators to support SKILLs Act & help school libraries

Action is needed now to help school libraries!  The Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries (SKILLs) Act (S 1328) has been introduced.  The bill would ensure effective school libraries by amending the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which is up for reauthorization.

Even if you are not a school librarian, please consider contacting Senators Mikulski and Cardin and ask them to co-sponsor the SKILLs Act (S 1328).  The SKILLs Act was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee.  Senator Mikulski serves on the HELP Committee, so her support would be particularly helpful.  You may contact the Senators using Capwiz or call their offices.  Phone numbers are listed under the Contact tab for Senator Mikulski and Senator Cardin.

For more information and talking points, see the District Dispatch posting.  Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide with this advocacy effort!