Legislative Committee Meeting Highlights

ALA Midwinter Meeting 2007, Seattle, WA

Submitted by Melinda Cervantes, January 21, 2007

Background – PLA Adopted a Resolution opposing DOPA in 2006.  Sen. John McCain (AZ) introduced a new DOPA Bill on Friday, January 19, 2007.  Mark Smith, Immediate Past Chair, PLA Legislative Committee, asked what the likelihood of DOPA passing in a Democratic controlled Congress.

1) Request that PLA identify a committee/group to track social networking/participatory networking concerns and create a greater awareness of related issues.

2) Request that PLA distribute information on DOPA prepared by ALA-WO and YALSA to PLA membership.

Conference Programs
ALA 2007 – June 25, 2007
The Insider’s Guide to Capitol Hill – Coordinators Mark Smith and Jan Sanders coordinating up to four groups of 15-20 people to tour the Capitol and learn more about the democratic process.  PLA reports that registration is full at 60 people with a wait list.  Committee recommends that Mark, Jan and Melinda conference on the logistics and identify tour group leaders – preferably Congressional staffers.  Committee also recommends opening the wait list so all who are interested can attend.

PLA 2008/Minneapolis, MN – March 25-29, 2008
Proposed President’s Program:  Why Do Libraries Still Matter? – Reframe the conversation to speak to the audience (economic value of libraries; emergent literacy and education, etc.).   Making Cities Stronger: Public Libraries Contributions to Local Economic Development, ULC 2006. 

ALA 2008/Anaheim, CA – June 26 – July 2, 2008
Proposed Pre-conference Program:  How to engage local elected officials – invite success stories from membership (Toolkit) and elected officials to speak.

Chair reported on the Committee response to the LSTA Reauthorization Survey that was then forwarded to PLA Executive Board.

ALA Annual Conference 2005

Submitted by Mark Smith, June 25, 2005

Our Committee addressed the following:

-          Reviewed the status of pending Federal Legislative issues including in particular recent developments in the Patriot Act, Funding Issues, and Copyright.

-          Discussed the development and status of the Federal Library Legislative and Advocacy Network and determined a committee goal to fill all remaining vacancies by midwinter.

-         Planned a program for Annual 2006 on gathering successful stories and helping to shape those stories into effective appeals for continued or increased funding.   This program proposal was turned in at the all-committee meeting.

Members present: Ellen Miller, Juliet Machie, Robin Wagner, Shirley May Byrnes, Mark Smith, and new committee member Beth ?

Members absent: Sarah O’Neal, Margaret Danziger

Visitors: Anne Marie Gold, Jan Sanders

ALA Midwinter Meeting 2004
San Diego, CA
January 11, 2004

Gold updated committee on ALA Legislative Assembly meeting.  The committee reviewed the copyright issues and decided to submit a proposal for a program at 2005 Annual Conference on "copyright for dummies" focused on the key copyright issues that public libraries need to be aware of.  Marion Francis will take the lead on putting the program proposal together.  Speakers suggested were the authors of the Summer 2004 OITP publication of copyright-Carrie Russell and Miriam Nisbet.

The committee also discussed the need to establish a national public libraries advocacy network since there is no clear contact in each state for public library issues on the federal level.  While most state associations do have a legislative contact it may not be a public librarian and/or key information may not be sent on to the public library community in each state in a timely manner.  The network would identify one public library contact in each state and that person would be reponsible for sending on legislative information to all public library contacts in that state.  Anne Marie Gold, working with Jan Sanders and Jean Tabor, volunteered to work on setting up the new network and putting together a program proposal for the 2005 Annual Conference.  The timeline for establishment of the new Public Library Federal Legislative Network is that the formation would be announced at the 2004 Annual Conference, members identified during 2004/2005 with the network in place by the 2005 Annual Conference.

Members present:  Anne Marie Gold, Shirley May Byrnes, Margaret Danziger, Marion Francis, Juliet Machie, Ellen Miller

Members absent:  Miriam Hilton, Neal Ney, Sarah O'Neal, Patricia Wallace, Harriet Gottfried, Virginia Lowell

Visitors:  Jean Tabor, Jan Sanders, Lynne Bradley

PLA is a division of the American Library Association. Copyright Statement.