Alan Inouye's December 18 Public Policy and Advocacy Updates, December 18
/ALA Senior Director, Public Policy & Government Relations and Interim Associate Executive Director Alan Inouye has shared this week’s updates. Always something here of interest to the library community. Thanks, Alan!
>> Continuing: Please sign up for the Unite Against Book Bans campaign if you or your organization has not yet done so. Many have joined but many have not.
https://uniteagainstbookbans.org/
> Tell Congress to Support End-of-Year Library Funding Requests.
https://oneclickpolitics.global.ssl.fastly.net/messages/edit?promo_id=18455
>> See you at the LibLearnX conference in New Orleans, end of January. Conference includes public policy, advocacy, and book banning/censorship programming.
https://www.2023.alaliblearnx.org/
ALA is proud to support the Adult Education WORKS Act, legislation to strengthen funding & coordination for adult education, including at public libraries! Thank you to Sen. Reed (D-RI) and Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) for the bipartisan introduction of this bill. ALA has been working on this bill for many months. Will be lobbying on it in 2023.
https://twitter.com/LibraryPolicy/status/1600889232150515712
Missouri's proposed administrative rule threatens to diminish library programs and services for ALL Missourians. ALA stands Missouri libraries and library associations. ALA makes formal comments.
https://twitter.com/ALALibrary/status/1603095006637694977
FCC seeks comment on expanding eligibility of network security in the E-rate program. ALA has been advocating for this change for years.
https://www.fcc.gov/document/wcb-seeks-comment-e-rate-eligibility-advanced-firewalls
The Digital Equity Foundation Act provisions are still alive as Congress tries to come to a resolution on the authorization for spectrum auctions in this lame duck session. This Act would enable some spectrum auction proceeds to fund digital inclusion programs, including all libraries of all types. Thank you to Sen. Lujan for his leadership!
https://twitter.com/MCalabreseNAF/status/1602682844769406980
ALA joins Education Superhighway/coalition letter to raise concerns about the inclusion of community anchor institutions in broadband maps—libraries are often not included, or included improperly.
U.S. Copyright Office completes study on changes to the best edition requirement: It will make no changes. ALA, through the Library Copyright Alliance, submitted comments recommending no changes
https://twitter.com/AlanSInouye/status/1599410791307833344
ALA joined a letter to the U.S. Copyright Office by the Authors Alliance with other signatories voicing support for the US Copyright Office’s proposed rule regarding termination rights under the Music Modernization Act’s blanket license.
https://twitter.com/AlanSInouye/status/1601670633309409280
Rhode Island librarians, including COL Chair Ed Garcia, visit Sen. Jack Reed and thank him for the Right to Read Act
https://twitter.com/LibraryPolicy/status/1602407817088012289
REPORTS AND ARTICLES
"Trust our Librarians" at a recent meeting of the St. Tammany Parish (Louisiana) Library Board
https://twitter.com/ALALibrary/status/1603404421114781699
More Rhode Island: U.S. Commerce Secretary Raimondo: "It's always great to be back home in Rhode Island! This afternoon, I stopped by the Providence Public Library to announce $5.5 million in new grants coming to the state — a down payment in our work to bring affordable, high-speed internet to every Rhode Islander."
https://twitter.com/SecRaimondo/status/1594826949997862934
In the New York Times: "I want to take a moment to say thank you for some of the most meaningful time I’ve spent in my life, time alone in quiet space: my time in libraries,” writes Charles M. Blow.