[SCLA] SCLA Advocacy Update: Thank Senator Gillibrand

[Anthony Giansante]

Colleagues,

The SCLA Executive Board voted to send a letter to our Senator Gillibrand
thanking her for her support in standing up for IMLS and the rule of law.
As library workers and/or  library supporters, we know that the work we do
increases the quality of life for communities we serve and that we work to
promote the greater good and it is wonderful to see our NYS senator is
amplifying those sentiments by defending funding that was lawfully
allocated to the IMLS.

Below is a copy of a letter expressing our gratitude to her.  We are
incredibly grateful and proud of our senator but to continue to reinforce
that libraries aren't luxuries, they are lifelines, we must defend them.
Please continue to contact your federal, state, and local representative
and remind them of the importance of our work and that we, as a collective
and individuals, work to make the lives of our communities better, and
encourage your friends and family to do the same!; click here
<https://elections.ny.gov/new-york-state-elected-officials> to find your
state and federal representative.

And please fill out the following forms/petitions:

   - Become a Library Advocate <https://www.nyla.org/become-an-advocate->
   - Protect Our Libraries - Increase State Funding Now!
   <https://app.oneclickpolitics.com/campaign-page?cid=23621&lang=en> (APRIL
   1ST DEADLINE)
   - Defend IMLS Now!
   <https://oneclickpolitics.global.ssl.fastly.net/messages/edit?promo_id=23622>


Attached to this email is a PDF of the SCLA letter and the letter she and 3
other senators sent to the Acting Director of the IMLS.

On behalf of the Suffolk County Library Association Board, I thank you for
your time and attention.

We sink and swim together,
Anthony Giansante
President of the Suffolk County Library Association




The Honorable Kirsten Gillibrand
155 Pinelawn Road

Suite 250 North

Melville, NY 11747

Dear Senator Gillibrand,

On behalf of the Suffolk County Library Association, representing the
dedicated library professionals serving over one million residents across
Suffolk County, New York, I extend our deepest gratitude and appreciation
for your continued leadership and advocacy on behalf of America’s libraries
and museums.

We are especially appreciative of your recent letter, co-authored with
Senators Jack Reed, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski, to Acting Director
Keith Sonderling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Your dedication to the rule of law, your support for the full and timely
implementation of the Museum and Library Services Act (MLSA) of 2018, and
your recognition of the importance of the $294.8 million in appropriated
funds, affirms what we know to be true: libraries are not luxuries – they
are lifelines.

Federal funding provided through IMLS makes it possible for libraries to
deliver critical services like but not limited to: early literacy, digital
inclusion, workforce development, and civic engagement. As frontline
community institutions, libraries across Suffolk County use these
investments to serve the evolving needs of our residents.

We respectfully urge you to continue pressing your colleagues in Congress
to support library funding and protect the role of IMLS in sustaining
library infrastructure nationwide. Your voice carries weight, and your
continued advocacy is paramount in ensuring that these vital services
remain accessible to all.

Thank you once again for standing with us and with the communities we serve.

On behalf of the Suffolk County Library Association Board,

Anthony Giansante
President
Suffolk County Library Association


-- 

Anthony Giansante (he/him)

Head of Emerging Technology
631-725-0049  // www.johnjermain.org
201 Main Street, Sag Harbor NY
<https://www.youtube.com/@jjmemlib>
<https://www.tiktok.com/@johnjermainlibrary>
<https://www.facebook.com/john-jermain-memorial-library>
<https://www.instagram.com/jjmlibrary/>
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