Library Legislative Day--Tuesday, Feb 16

A bit of short notice, but please let me take this opportunity to promote participation in Wisconsin's Library Legislative Day. This is an activity open to SLIS students where they attend a breakfast/information session to listen to presentations and learn talking points on current issues with libraries in our states. The students then shadow librarians from all over Wisconsin as they visit various state Congressmen and aides at the Capital and advocate for library issues.

Registration is still open and I urge anyone interested to go to the WLA's information page on this event.

I have included a synopsis of my experience at the event from last year below:

I started off the day by waking up earlier than I had all year in order to make the 7:30 am registration. I found the Green Bay group (I was put with them because it is my hometown) easily. My high school principal was there, so it was pretty easy to spot. That came as a surprise. There were also a few librarians from UWGB and the director of the Brown County Library, Lynn Stainbrook. I had heard the news about Green Bay that she was hired in part because she is a fund-raising ace, and it was wonderful to watch her in action. You bet I took notes!

We started off in a reception room with carbs and the promised free coffee. A couple people talked about the major issues at hand and led us through the literature in our packet. One phrase I heard repeated a few times was “The new increase is no cuts.” Libraries aren’t exactly a hard sell. In times of economic troubles usage statistics go up. More people take advantage of FREE books, cds, and dvds, and the library is pretty much the only place many people can get internet access. Most anything job related is online now. However, even though Wisconsin libraries return $4 for every dollar spent, with a budget deficit it is sometimes easier to see the benefits of investing in roads and public safety.

We didn’t actually visit the legislators themselves, but their aides, which is fine because the aides we visited specialized in libraries and education and such. There was a lot of emphasis on networking and establishing contacts. I was really impressed to see Ms. Stainbrook make an appointment for one of the state legislators to come take a tour of the library and talk about a possible project in the future. Like I said, it was a fantastic learning experience, and it made me glad I was at Madison so I had the chance to go to it.