Advocacy
Feburary 1, 2020 - There are  important upcoming library advocacy events that would greatly benefit from MSLA member participation, such as Library Legislative Day and Legislative Breakfasts. Consider:
Sen. Amy Kloubuchar (D-MN) has introduced a bill outlining the importance of digital and media literacy and providing potential funding for states! There are seven senate sponsors, but none from Massachusetts. Contact Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and ask them to add their names to the list! Find out more about the bill here.
As of January 6, 2020, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) is offering more resources. This is the result of the national increase in funding for the  Institute of Museum & Library Services (read more below). What this means for your library:
  • Opposing Viewpoints (Gale) is back!  
Four new databases:
  • Career Transitions (Gale) 
  • HeritageQuest Online (ProQuest) 
  • Science Database (ProQuest) 
  • Research Companion (ProQuest) 

Read detailed descriptions below. To get links for these resources go to MBLC Website.


FROM ALA Advocacy 1/3/2020:
​The American Library Association advocacy called on you frequently in 2019 - to tweet, to email, to act, and to give. In the first few days of 2020, we wanted to be sure to report back, to let you know how it went, and to thank you.

As you know, our goal was to restore library funding after the White House proposed elimination for the third time last March. Short version: we did it and got a record increase!

Here are some quick highlights:
  • We secured a $10 million increase for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, including $6.2 million for the Library Services and Technology Act - the largest increase in LSTA funding in 12 years.
  • We protected the Innovative Approaches to Literacy program from elimination, safeguarding $27 million in funding for school libraries.
  • New advocates from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and Washington D.C. joined the #FundLibraries campaign.
  • Every member of Congress heard from ALA and our advocates about the importance of libraries and their impact in communities across the country. Without a doubt, this is the reason why library funding has steadily grown over the past three years.
In addition to your work on the #FundLibraries campaign, you stepped up big time to support the #eBooksForAll campaign - with 236,858 signatures and counting - helped to pass the GREAT Act, prepared libraries across the country for the 2020 Census, and continued pushing for increased library funding at the state and local levels.
We really just want to say thank you.

We say it a lot, but that's because it's true: we couldn't do any of this without you.

A big congratulations to you, ALA advocates, for these impressive and hard-fought victories. Thanks to your year-round advocacy, you have made these successes possible.

Let's get 2020 off to a strong start by thanking your elected officials for supporting library funding and sharing ALA's 2020 Congressional Calendar with your colleagues and planning how you can continue to engage year-round with your elected officials!

We look forward to building on these accomplishments in 2020 and seeing you at National Library Legislative Day in May.
Thanks again,
The ALA Advocacy Team
PS - Please take a minute to send a tweet to your elected officials today, thanking them for their work to #FundLibraries.
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Co-chair: Deeth Ellis Boston Latin dellis@maschoolibraries.org
Greg Pronevitz
Co-chair: Georgina Trebbe Minnechaug HS gtrebbe@maschoolibraries.org
Updated: February 2, 2020                          Page Editor: Deeth Ellis dellis@maschoolibraries.org and Georgina Trebbe gtrebbe@maschoolibraries.org