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@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