[CASL-L] Email to Rosa DeLauro to include funding for libraries

[CASL President]

All,
I have sent a letter as the President of CASL, but perhaps you could send
an email also...see below for talking points and email contact info...

*Barbara Johnson*
President
Connecticut Association of School Librarians
4 Wotton Lane • Burlington, CT • 06013•
<http:///www.ctcasl.org>
Check out our NEW web site www.ctcasl.org

From: Kevin Maher <kmaher at alawash.org>
Date: Thu, Jan 28, 2021, 2:48 PM
Subject: RE: Incoming Ed Secretary
To: Barbara Johnson <bjohnson at ctcasl.org>


Barbara,



We’re trying to get some high level calls into DeLauro’s office to see if
we can get into the next COVID relief package. As Congress drafts and
prepares to release a proposal for the next COVID-19 relief bill, we have
received word that specific funding for libraries may not be included. We
really need your help now to ensure that libraries will be included in this
introductory draft.



As a key advocate in Connecticut, we need you to send Rep. DeLauro an
email today and request their support for emergency library funding.



If you are able to send a message, you can find key talking points to
include and an optional template message below. Our best contact in their
office is Elizabeth Albertine at elizabeth.albertine at mail.house.gov.   If
you have any questions at all, please feel free to call me directly and I
would be happy to help you. Feel free to forward this to others in her
district.



Thank you so much,



*Talking points:*

·        America's libraries *must *be included in the next COVID-19 relief
bill, as they are a lifeline to community members in this time of need.

·        Please include *$200 million* for the Institute of Museum and
Library Services (IMLS).

·        To keep our communities connected during the pandemic, every state
library must receive *$2 million minimum* in base funding to ensure local
priorities are met.





*Example email template:*

As a [*librarian/library worker]* at the [*name of library*], I am writing
to request that you include critical funding for libraries in the upcoming
COVID-19 emergency relief bill. Every day, many members of
our community are unable to work, learn, and access critical resources
because they lack proper access to the internet and library services.



Throughout the pandemic, libraries have been stepping up to patch America’s
tattered digital and social safety net. This is happening across the
country, across Connecticut and right here in our district. Library
hotspot lending and Wi-Fi access are keeping people on the job. Teachers
are relying on these resources through our library to power their Zoom
classrooms, and students depend on them to keep learning from home. Library
hotspots have even ensured that members of our community receive healthcare
in the safety of their own homes. Now that the COVID-19 vaccines are being
distributed, libraries are using their connectivity devices to help get
seniors registered to be vaccinated.



*[Optional: insert personal anecdote on how your library has stepped up
during the pandemic]*



It’s time for Congress to recognize that libraries are a critical partner
in keeping our citizens safe and our economy thriving. As your constituent
on the front lines, I am calling on you to stand by our
libraries. America's libraries must be included in the next COVID-19 relief
bill. Specifically, I am asking for two things:



·        Please include *$200 million* for the Institute of Museum and
Library Services (IMLS).

·        To keep our communities connected during the pandemic, every state
library must receive *$2 million minimum* in base funding to ensure local
priorities are met.



Communities in Connecticut are relying heavily on libraries for a wide
range of services to survive the pandemic, especially in hard-hit rural and
under-served communities. Library staff have mobilized their resources to
keep students learning and workers earning throughout the pandemic, and we
need this crucial relief funding to keep going. Our communities are
depending on us in this turbulent time - please help us keep them
connected.



Will you stand with Connecticut’s public and school libraries and include
$200 million for libraries through IMLS in the COIVD relief package?



Thank you,



*(Name *
*Title*
*Contact info)*





Kevin L. Maher
Deputy Director, Public Policy & Advocacy
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