National Library Legislative Day

I'm writing this quick post during a break fron the Amercan Library Association National Library Legislative Day briefing.

I'm sure I'll have more to write as the next couple of days unfold,but I wanted to post briefly about how proud I feel to be part of a group of library supporters, many of whom came to Washington at their own expense and on their own time, who are committed to making sure our Federal Legislators understand the importance of libraries in a democratic society.

For public libraries the main source of Federal funding is through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), which provides funds for grant programs administered by the State Libraries. This year PVLD is benefitting directly from LSTA funding in 3 areas -

1. The Early Literacy for Families (ELF) grant that is supporting enhanced services for families with young children and particularly for families of children with disabilities.

2. The Transforming Life After 50 grant that is supporting enhanced library services for the 39% of Peninsula residents who fall into theBaby Boom generation.

3. Scholarships to assist PVLD staff who are attending library school while working.

This morning we have already heard how challenging the Federal budget negotiations are, and how proposals currently on the table amount to a 2% spending increase (less than inflation) before any changes to programs such as No Child Left Behind.

It's pretty disheartening, especially when you realize that the total annual LSTA funding we are seeking amounts to less than 1/2 the amount we are spending DAILY on the war in Iraq (we are seeking $214.432 million in LSTA funding for next fiscal year while in April of this year the Washington Post reported that the Iraq war is costing $434 million/day)!

LSTA is only one of the issues we are addressing in Washington this week. Others include funding for school libraries, for federal libraries including the National Agriculture Library, and for the E-Rate telecommunications discounts that are made available to schoolsand public libraries including PVLD and PVPUSD.

The total annual funding being requested for all of these programs (including LSTA) adds up to less than 3 days funding for the Iraq war!

What does that say about our priorities ?