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Ad Lib: Advocacy for Libraries

April 25, 2006

Just the Facts, Ma’am

In preparation for National Library Legislative Day, ALA has made available on their site a slew of facts and information on various library-related things, including information on legislative issues important to libraries and a downloadable flyer that “features statistics and talking points to help you make your case to legislators.”

If you’re going to D.C.—or even if you just want to know what issues are facing our libraries—give it a look.

posted by Alan at 3:49 pm | Comments (0)

April 24, 2006

Taking a Look at Net Neutrality

A friend recently drew my attention to Save the Internet, a site (with a somewhat alarmist title) dedicated to preserving net neutrality. Here’s what Save the Internet has to say about their purpose:

Internet Freedom is under attack. Congress is pushing a law that would abandon Network Neutrality, the Internet’s First Amendment. Network neutrality prevents companies like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast from deciding which Web sites work best for you — based on what site pays them the most. Your local library shouldn’t have to outbid Barnes & Noble for the right to have its Web site open quickly on your computer.

Net neutrality, basically, is the idea that internet providers shouldn’t have the power to set up a network-wide filter that could slow down or flat-out prevent their customers from accessing sites on the web. This is, obviously, an issue that has some resonance with libraries. The prospect of having outside parties affecting available content could have serious consequences on information provision.

This comes up now because, as Save the Internet states, the question is currently before Congress…kind of. The Committee on Energy and Commerce in the House will be holding a hearing on an as-yet-unintroduced bill called the Communications Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006. Where net neutrality is affected by this bill is in its absence. ConsumerAffairs.com tells us that “language supporting [net neutrality] was deleted from the final draft.” (That Consumer Affairs article has a pretty good run-down of the situation, with a fair representation of several different perspectives. You should give it a read.)

So the long and the short of it is, if you feel this is an issue to your library, it’s time to speak up. If you’re in Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s district, she would be your first step, as she’s on the Energy and Commerce Committee, and is therefore the most immediate path to getting your position heard early. But if you’re outside Schakowsky’s district and would still like to be heard, it can’t hurt to give a call to your Representative’s office and let them know how you’d like them to vote if/when the bill comes to the floor.

posted by Alan at 4:14 pm | Comments (0)

April 20, 2006

Serving Illinois in the 40th Percentile

Crain’s Chicago Business informs me that, compared to Arizona, Kansas, and even Alaska, Illinois is kinda weak, broadband-wise: we rank 21 of 51 in resident-per-broadband connection (51 because it’s all the states and D.C.). And you might think that it’s rural Illinois that’s causing the deficiency, but a) the Crain’s article cites people in Chicago who can’t get broadband, and b) Kansas and Alaska can get it together better than Illinois, and they’re not exactly urban-industrial hubs (no offense to any readers from Alaska or Kansas who might find their way here).

This is an important issue to keep in mind when talking to your legislators. If people aren’t able to get the kind of high speed internet connection they need at home, it’s all the more important that libraries be able to provide it. This is information that can tie to filtering legislation, E-Rate, grant funding, and more. (And, to tie it in to my post yesterday about the advocacy cards, this would be excellent data fodder for cards 1 and 3.)

posted by Alan at 10:45 am | Comments (0)

April 19, 2006

The Major Role of the Internet And Your Library

This is for those of you in our Advocacy Relationship Project. (If you’re reading this and you’re not part of the project, why not consider signing up? Just leave a message in comments or let me know.)

Advocates should recall that the first card in the 2006 Card Program is on the theme of “E-Resources.” You may be wondering to yourself how you can relate e-resources to your library. Well, the Pew Internet & American Life Project may have just helped you out. According to a study released today, “45% of internet users, or about 60 million Americans, say that the internet helped them make big decisions or negotiate their way through major episodes in their lives in the previous two years.”

Now, if you think about it, how many people use the internet at your library every day? If you have 100 users, this study suggests that, on average, 45 of them are using it in a way that will seriously affect their lives. Every day. That’s huge: that’s nearly half the population who, without the resources provided by your library, might not have the resources to make the decisions—the major life decisions—that they need to make.

I’m not saying that you should all take that and run with it as you personalize your first advocacy card. But it certainly is some powerful food for thought, isn’t it?

posted by Alan at 3:47 pm | Comments (0)

Advocating For Libraries Just Got Easier

We all know how important it is to advocate for library issues (why would you be here otherwise?). Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to keep up-to-date on what the issues are you need to keep an eye on, nor is it always easy to find the best way to get your message out.

Well, ALA just went ahead and made that a little easier for you. They have launched the ALA Legislative Action Center, a new website designed to help you keep up with the issues and let your legislators know how you feel about them. In one site, you can find the current legislation important to ALA, the contact info of your state and federal legislators, and even how to contact your local media to speak out about these issues. (There’s also a “Grassroots” section on there, but as of this writing, there’s no content. I’ll be interested to see what’s going to go there…)

The only drawback, in my opinion, is the requirement of a login to use their site. ALA explains that requirement this way: “We are asking users to login because the vast majority of Congressional offices have begun to require legitimate email addresses from users to avoid being overwhelmed by spam. We encourage you to use your work e-mail address as your login name.” So it’s an understandable issue, but the extensive registration information seems a bit much—especially since they don’t tell you which fields are required and which aren’t. (Ever of service to our readers, Ad Lib has determined that the first and last name, home address, and username and password fields are required; the rest are optional.)

This really is a handsome site, and if ALA can keep it up-to-date and chock full of information (a problem that occasionally plagued their old action center), then this could be an amazingly useful tool. Check it out!

posted by Alan at 9:26 am | Comments (0)

April 12, 2006

Libraries and the Immigration Issue

Unless you’ve been hiding in the stacks all week, you’ve most likely seen coverage of the immigration rallies that have been rising up across the country. You no doubt have thoughts on this controversial issue, but have you considered letting your legislators know what libraries have to do with it?

While immigration issues are front and center in the nation’s eyes, this is a great time to remind everyone who’ll listen the resources libraries provide for the immigrant population: resources for citizenship tests, ESL classes, non-English reading materials, and more. Although they’ve not received much (if any) attention in the debate, libraries’ roles in the lives of those who are new (or even not-so-new) to our country need to be considered.

posted by Alan at 9:32 am | Comments (0)