ALA Council

As you know, ALA launched our federal FY 2025 #FundLibraries campaign last Monday with the release of two dear appropriator letters in support of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) programs. This morning the deadline for submitting signatures for the House letters has been set for Monday, April 29! We have until EOB on Monday to get signatures.  

Right now, we are far off from our goal of reaching the same number of signatures as we had on the letters last year.   

The directions are as follows: 

1.      Call your Representative's office. 

2.      Ask for the education/library staffer for your Member of Congress. 

3.      Deliver the short message below. 

4.      Follow up with an email with template email message (provided below), which includes links to the dear appropriator letters.  

The phone script, email and social posts should be customized with the name of the Representative and, ideally, indicate if they have signed both, one or neither letter. The chart on ALA's #FundLibraries web page tells you which letters (if any) your Representative has signed. Of course, if they have signed one of the letters, do thank them!   

We appreciate your voices and your influence as library leaders. Even though the states that receive IAL funding put it to good use – building a foundation of literacy in high-need places – every year we must prod legislators for signatures. The combination of partisan gridlock, election year politics and a proposed 4% cut to LSTA from the White House could translate into decreased funding for LSTA in FY 2025.  

Thank you for being a part of this national push, especially at a time when you're fighting battles in your own states. If you have any questions about these federal programs or ALA's #FundLibraries campaign, please contact Kris Stewart, Grassroots Communications Manager (kstewart@alawash.org).  

PHONE SCRIPT for calls to members of the U.S. House of Representatives 

Check ALA's updated chart on signature status: https://www.ala.org/advocacy/fund-libraries#Sign%20ons 

Hello, I am the [title] of the [your affiliation] and am contacting you because [your boss] has supported libraries in recent years.  

Two bipartisan Dear Appropriator letters are circulating to support library funding, and we note that [your boss] has not yet signed [either of these letters].  

One letter supports the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), which returns valuable resources to your state every year. That letter is led by Representatives Raul Grijalva and Don Bacon. On behalf of the members of the [State] Library Association, I am asking all members of the House [State] delegation to sign the Grijalva-Bacon LSTA letter.  

The second letter supports the Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) program, which is the only federal program directly supporting literacy initiatives in school libraries. The letter is led by Representatives Jim McGovern and Don Bacon. Again, on behalf of the members of the [State] Library Association, I am asking [your boss] and all members of the [State] House delegation to sign the McGovern-Bacon IAL letter.  

The deadline to sign these letters is Monday! Thank you for passing along my request soon. 

EMAIL TEMPLATE (for chapter leaders to follow up after phone calls) 

Hello. I am following up on my earlier call urging [your boss] to support libraries in our community in the FY 2025 budget. Every day, libraries provide valuable, no-fee services to children and families, veterans, unemployed, small businesses and entrepreneurs, seniors, and many others. In many communities, libraries are the only resource for broadband access, computing devices, and digital services.   

Two bipartisan FY 2025 Dear Appropriator letters are circulating which support of library funding and we note that [your boss] has not yet signed [either of these letters]. On behalf of the members of the [State] Library Association, I am asking all members of the House [State] delegation to sign [both the LSTA and IAL letters].  

One letter (text here) supports the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and is led by Reps. Raul Grijalva and Don Bacon. LSTA provides valuable resources for public libraries in our state and resources for many of your constituents.  

The second letter (text here) supports school libraries through the Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) program in the Department of Education. The IAL letter is led by Reps. Jim McGovern and Don Bacon.  

To sign the Grijalva-Bacon LSTA letter, contact Dorothy Holley at Dorothy.Holley@mail.house.gov  or 225-2435.

To sign the McGovern-Bacon IAL letter, contact Isabella Edo at Isabella.Edo@mail.house.gov or 225-6101. 

Please note that the deadline to sign these letters is Wednesday, May 1.  

Thank you for sharing my request today. 

[closing valediction/signature] 

SOCIAL MEDIA AND LISTSERV POSTS 

In addition to making phone calls and sending emails to your own congressional leaders, posting strategically in support of the campaign from your social media accounts and listservs can move the needle.  

Here are some suggestions and samples to work from (keeping in mind that customization/using an authentic voice is best): 

·       use the hashtag #FundLibraries  

·       tag your members of Congress and urge them to sign the letters that help their constituents   

·       include the May 1 deadline for House signatures  

For your convenience, feel free to repost/quote post one of ALA's social media posts:  

·       Twitter/X:  https://twitter.com/ALALibrary/status/1783562902059843737 

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanLibraryAssociation/posts/pfbid022vxWKKWzBbeDSmpYLpfrECPDNigNWMXH2zvcXjAErvUbKYYbdSz9Y1UiSa1vQJdFl 

·       LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/posts/american-library-association_fundlibraries-activity-7189329072940822529-HGmt?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop 

If you're posting on X/Twitter or Threads (which have a maximum word count), be sure to separate the copy below into a two-post thread. The first post is geared toward getting chapter members and library advocates to act, while the second post is geared directly at your elected officials. Here is a sample:   

Fellow [@YourAssociation] members: I just asked my senators and representative to sign letters to fully fund the LSTA and IAL programs. Check your legislators' sign-on status here and join me to ask Congress to #FundLibraries: [LINK: https://www.ala.org/advocacy/fund-libraries]   

[@RepHandle], [State] libraries are counting on federal funding to support summer reading, workforce programs, & more. Please stand with us & #FundLibraries by signing letters supporting the LSTA and IAL programs before the May 1 deadline. [LINK: https://www.ala.org/advocacy/fund-libraries]  

Thank you for support to #fundlibraries