[CASL-L] Fwd: Further info about submitting written testimony to support SB 148

[CASL President]

Please excuse the duplicate posting. We need as many emails sent as
possible!

Good evening!

Please note this further information from CLA about SB 148. There are
suggestions and links about how to make your voice heard at this crucial
time, *especially if your legislator is on the P&D committee*! Below that
is an example and information about what to write. If you have further
questions, please don’t hesitate to email me: president at ctcasl.org and I’ll
do my best to help. We appreciate your help!

Sincerely, Jenny

Dear Colleagues,

We have an opportunity to advance Connecticut’s own eBook & digital
audiobook licensing bill here, joining ongoing efforts across the country.

GREAT NEWS!!

The Connecticut General Assembly’s Planning & Development Committee has
raised SB 148: An Act Making Certain Terms In Electronic Book And Digital
Audiobook License Agreements Or Contracts Unenforceable.
<https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=SB00148&which_year=2024>

WHAT’S HAPPENING & WHEN

The Planning & Development (P&D) Committee will hold a hybrid public
hearing Wednesday, February 21 starting at 1:30 PM.

YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED

We need people to sign up to testify—especially librarians and residents of
the districts of members (see below) of the P&D Committee.

We also need people from all over the state to email letters in support of
the bill! (CASL folks - we will get info to you about this soon. This could
be administrators, teachers, parents, community members. )

*~~~ HERE’S WHAT TO DO NOW ~~~*

*Submit Written Testimony by 5 PM on Wednesday, February 21 (but the sooner
the better). Here’s the link
<https://www.cga.ct.gov/aspx/CGATestimonySub/CGAtestimonysubmission.aspx?comm_code=PD>.*

GUIDE TO TESTIMONY NEXT STEPS

Visit CLA’s action-oriented "Speak Up!" page
<https://ctlibraryassociation.org/speak_up> for more info, as well as
suggested talking points. See below too!

Last year when the bill was introduced for a 2nd time, the committee heard
from us that this was an issue that they should pay attention to. If
anything, that is even more critical now, so our numbers really, REALLY
matter. Tell legislators what a big deal this is!

Thank you for your support!

Kate and Olivia LibraryDirector at colchesterct.gov & orhysb+CLA at gmail.com

*Members of the Planning & Development Committee are:

Eleni Kavros DeGraw (Co-Chair), MD Rahman (Co-Chair), Joseph H. Zullo
(Ranking Member), Ryan Fazio (Ranking Member), Brandon Chafee (Vice Chair),
Norman Needleman (Vice Chair), Jan Hochadel, Rick Lopes, Tony Hwang, Andre
F. Baker, Aundre Bumgardner, Christine Conley, Michael D Agostino, Roland
J. Lemar, Cristin McCarthy Vahey, David Michel, Tom Delnicki, Doug
Dubitsky, Irene M. Haines, Carol Hall, Tami Zawistowski

*Looking for how to get started when sending written testimony? Here you
go! Adapted from CLA’s Kate Byroade:*

CASL members, please use this as a guide, but *try to use your own words*.
Think of it as Mad-Libs. Focusing on your budgets and the students you
serve will be key. The legislators already understand the value of reading
so that part can be short. Any stories about how eBooks help students with
special needs would be especially helpful.

*Sample letter for School librarians:*

I’m the school librarian at [School Name] in [Town] serving [Number of
students] in grades [K -12]. [Anything distinctive about the school
population/district—free & reduced lunch population, ELL students, Title 1
population, % children of immigrants, etc.] [Something positive about your
students!]

Each year I have [$00.00] to spend on materials for the school library.
It’s a struggle to stretch those funds and the prices I pay to lease ebooks
for students don’t help.

For example, [Title of Book] costs [$00.00] to lease but after two years it
disappears, and yet [every third grader reads this book in my school]. Yet
if I buy paperback copies of this title, I’d pay only $00.00 each and we’d
have them for the students until they fell apart or got lost.

[Something about the importance of reading choice to promote reading
fluency, or something similar.]

Please support SB 148 so Connecticut’s school libraries can stretch our
limited funds to provide more reading choices for children!

Thank you,

[Your Name]
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://mylist.net/archives/casl-l/attachments/20240217/6950aca1/attachment.htm>