[CASL-L] Fwd: A message from ALA leadership

[Barbara Johnson]

Time to go to work!
B

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Cindy Hohl, ALA President <MemberValue at ala.org>
Date: Fri, Jan 31, 2025, 4:18 PM
Subject: A message from ALA leadership
To: <bajohnson at colchesterct.org>


We are living in extraordinary times.

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.

Dear ALA Member,



We are living in extraordinary times.



It’s hard to believe that it has only been 11 days since the inauguration.
Remarks and directives continue to be released, creating seriously adverse
conditions in Washington, D.C., and beyond.



ALA is engaging with our allies to push back on the chaos and uncertainty
threatening libraries and library workers.



Amid the flurry of multiple assaults on the public interest, ALA and the
library community must focus on those attacks with direct consequences for
us because we cannot expect others to do so without our leadership. And we
must prepare for a long campaign over the next few years. We must be
deliberate with our resources—and not burn out.



Central to this mobilization is bolstering ALA’s ability to showcase how
libraries contribute to America’s communities—no matter one’s political
party or philosophy.



On Tuesday, we asked library advocates
<https://americanlibraryassociation.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0xMTg1NjkzNSZwPTEmdT0xMTIwMTU2MDQxJmxpPTExMzg1ODIyNw/index.html>
to provide ALA with their stories of how federal funding strengthens their
communities. More than 150 advocates across 40 states responded within 48
hours to this call! We are receiving the concrete and specific details ALA
needs to amplify the value and essential roles of libraries and library
workers in schools, universities, small, medium, and large cities and
communities, including Tribal Nations and military bases. These stories
demonstrate the importance of libraries and will be used for state and
local advocacy, as well as for engagement with federal officials. If you
haven’t already done so, please *share your library’s story
<https://americanlibraryassociation.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0xMTg1NjkzNSZwPTEmdT0xMTIwMTU2MDQxJmxpPTExMzg1ODIyOA/index.html>*
.



ALA continues its work beyond the recent Trump Administration
interventions, such as in the U.S. Supreme Court. The Federal
Communications Commission’s Universal Service Fund (USF) will be reviewed
by the high court as some have questioned its constitutionality. The E-rate
program, which provides funds for broadband services to public libraries
and K-12 schools, is part of the USF, thus its great importance to ALA and
its members. Earlier in January, ALA submitted an amicus brief to the U.S.
Supreme Court
<https://americanlibraryassociation.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0xMTg1NjkzNSZwPTEmdT0xMTIwMTU2MDQxJmxpPTExMzg1ODIyOQ/index.html>
and additionally joined a brief (PDF)
<https://americanlibraryassociation.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0xMTg1NjkzNSZwPTEmdT0xMTIwMTU2MDQxJmxpPTExMzg1ODIzMA/index.html>
led by the National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers,
and other education associations. Oral arguments are expected in March.



Engaging with ALA members is an essential component of our policy work. ALA
recently hosted two member-exclusive webinars pertaining to the
post-election policy environment and its impact on and implications for
libraries. The third webinar in this series is scheduled for the latter
part of February (look for it!).



At the recent LLX Conference in Phoenix, we continued our public policy
updates and advocacy training. We hosted a program entitled “Libraries on
the Line: Charting a Path Beyond the 2024 Elections,” offered advocacy and
communication sessions at the Governance Institute, and convened the ALA
Policy Corps.



Thanks for your involvement in these efforts! It’s your support that
enables ALA to engage in wide-ranging public policy and advocacy
initiatives.



The months ahead are likely to be ever more challenging, and we will need
even more of your help to ensure a successful advocacy partnership. We need
you to provide information, take action, contribute financially, engage
your networks, and lean on us and each other for spiritual and emotional
support.



We can protect and support library interests, but it won’t be easy! We may
need to pursue strategies that we have not used previously. Only when we
work together in the same direction and with increasing force can we
achieve success.



*Cindy Hohl*
ALA President

*Leslie Burger*
ALA Interim Executive Director
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American Library Association

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800.545.2433 | ala.org
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