from an ALA mailing from Beth Yoke:
We know that strong school libraries drive student achievement, and it’s up to us to make sure our members of Congress do, too! Now through December Congress is working on a new education bill to provide federal funding for the nation’s schools. The crux of this work is being done in the House and Senate education committees, and your state has Glenn Grothman on the House committee and Tammy Baldwin on the Senate committee. That gives you an extra edge that we hope you will use. Your calls, emails, Tweets and visits will make a positive difference for America’s youth and ensure school libraries adequately funded.
Here’s how you can support school libraries:
· Invite your rep to your library the week of Oct. 12th or the week of Nov. 23. This will help Congress see first-hand all the great things you do to help youth succeed in school and prepare for college, careers and life. Tips for sending an invitation and hosting an elected official are here: http://tinyurl.com/Act4SchoolLibraries
· Take a few teen library patrons to visit your rep’s local office the week of Oct. 12th or the week of Nov. 23 so they can talk about what school libraries mean to them. For tips, go here: http://tinyurl.com/Act4SchoolLibraries
· Host a Contact Congress event between now and Dec. Details are on this wiki page: http://tinyurl.com/Act4SchoolLibraries
· Other: be creative and think of another way you can reach your member of Congress!
It doesn’t matter if you work in a school or public library, or no library at all! It’s important for you to pitch in—remember a rising tide lifts all boats! If you’re a public library worker, team up with your school library counterpart or vice versa. For more resources to help you be a great advocate visit www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy