Save Illinois Libraries!
Readers of Shawnee Library System publications are aware of the 16.5% cut to our budget, which meant a reduction of $236,193 in funding. The cut would have been as much as 50% had not Secretary of State Jesse White reallocated federal LSTA dollars to restore some of the funding for library services in Illinois. We owe a deep debt of gratitude to the Secretary of State for his support of libraries and now the ball is in our court to convince Illinois legislators that Illinois libraries need to have funding restored and that we cannot face any future cuts.
Save Illinois Libraries
The Illinois Library Community is using online tools to support the "Save Illinois Libraries" effort---please join with us in putting these tools to use and getting the word out to library supporters throughout the state that legislators need to be “blasted” with the information! Stuff their mailboxes with letters, load them down with emails, visit their local offices, and invite them to your library to hear how these cuts have impacted your community.
Save Illinois Libraries (http://www.saveillinoislibraries.com). Visit this site to lobby legislators. A section invites libraries to “Tell Your Story,” by entering information about the impact of cuts in per capita monies to their patrons and also what system services mean to the operation of their library and delivery of services to library users (who are voters!). Another section leads to “Latest News” and a link on the bottom of the page brings the reader to a “Frequently Asked Questions” section that is very helpful when developing talking points for a letter or a phone call to legislators. Perhaps the most critical section of the page is “Take Action,” which points to several arenas in which library supporters can make their voices heard. One of which is:
CapWiz (http://capwiz.com/ala/il/state/main/?state=IL). This advocacy tool provided by the Illinois Library Association allows users to very simply contact their legislators and make their voices heard. When a user clicks on the “Take Action” button beneath the “Illinois General Assembly Restore Library Funding” section, they are taken to a site that allows them to enter a zip code and get contact information for their legislators and then send an e-mail (often already composed), that can be sent directly to selected lawmakers. Ask your legislators to make the pledge that is included in the CapWiz letter to oppose any additional cuts to library funding and when monies are available to fully fund per capita funding for Illinois libraries. For each e-mail that you send, invite six others (family, friends, library supporters) to also send an email or letter to the legislator. Ask your legislators to make the pledge to support to support libraries.
Facebook The “Restore Funding for Illinois Libraries” has over 700 fans. You can view the Facebook site at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Restore-funding-for-IL-library-Systems/134201384668?ref=ts If you’re not a “fan” already, PLEASE do so now----we all know the strength in numbers. Better yet, invite your friends and patrons to become fans as well. It’s easy to do and a great show of support!
Twitter: http://twitter.com/saveillibs Blanket Illinois with “tweets” about the funding crisis within the Illinois library community.
PLEASE GET INVOLVED!!! Make a visit, send an e-mail, or write a letter to your legislators. In the current economic and political environment, no effort is too small and no advocacy campaign is too large.
