Library Advocacy day in Albany is on Tuesday, March 5th! MHLS Member Library staff, trustees, Friends and patrons are encouraged to attend. Sponsored by the New York Library Association (NYLA), our goal is to help legislators understand how they can best serve their constituents through the support of libraries and Systems in the State budget. To make an impact on March 5th in Albany we need lots of library supporters, from every legislative district in the System!
The Governor's Proposed Budget holds library funding even with last year, retaining the 3% restoration in aid gained during last year's legislative and advocacy season. That is good news. This brings library aid back to a level even with funding levels from sixteen years ago. This is not good news. There is work to be done.
The Governor has proposed a 4.4% increase for education aid, library supporters are asked to help raise awareness amongst legislators and the Governor that libraries are part of the education infrastructure in New York and are, in fact, chartered by the Board of Regents, just like schools. Libraries should see, at least, the same 4.4% increase.
FYI: More good news! The $14 million for library construction aid was included
in the Governor's budget!
NYLA Advocacy Day on Tuesday March 5th provides library supporters from around the state with the opportunity to reach out to legislators together - our message is stronger when we deliver it together!
MHLS makes it easy: We make all the appointments and have a System staff person at each one to help get the conversation started with your legislators. We will supply you with talking points and tips for telling the meaningful stories of how library and system services improve lives in your local community.
Jump on the bus! There will once again be a bus running up the NYS Thruway picking up library supporters along the way! Avoid the parking hassle in Albany! Thanks to donations from area Friends Groups the bus ticket price is down to $12 this year! Register for the bus through the Ramapo Catskill Library System: http://calendar.rcls.org/ Bus registration and payment deadline for the bus is February 25.
Driving up on your own? Register through MHLS: http://calendar.midhudson.org/ Directions and parking information are available on NYLA's web site: http://www.nyla.org/ (click on "Advocacy Day," under Calendar)
Pre-Advocacy Day Events, Monday, March 4th: Workshops - including a Legal Issues Clinic for Libraries with "library lawyers" Bob Schofield and Ellen Bach - and the New Yorkers for Better Libraries Political Action Committee's gala event are held in Albany the day before to get everyone revved up for Tuesday. The speaker at the March 4th PAC dinner in Albany will be David Vinjamuri, the Forbes columnist who wrote the recent article, "Why Public Libraries Matter and How They Can Do More": http://onforb.es/VJwBsU
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