[SCLA] Fw: Tell your Senators to fund libraries!
Kerri Souto
kerri at suffolknet.org
Tue Mar 31 14:46:34 EDT 2026
Colleagues,
In case you missed it, ALA sent out a call to action regarding the upcoming federal budget negotiations. “Dear Appropriator” letters for library funding started circulating today, and ALA is encouraging library advocates to reach out to their US Senators. Please see the email below for more information.
Kind Regards,
Kerri
Kerri Ann Souto (she/her)
Government and Community Relations Coordinator
Suffolk Cooperative Library System
627 N. Sunrise Service Road
Bellport, NY 11713
631-286-1600 Ext. 1333
kerri at suffolknet.org<mailto:kerri at suffolknet.org>
________________________________
From: ALA Public Policy & Advocacy <advocacyaction at ala.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2026 12:01 PM
To: Kerri Souto <kerri at suffolknet.org>
Subject: RE: Tell your Senators to fund libraries!
ICYMI: The Senate owes its library support letters to leadership by April 17.
No images? Click here<https://americanlibraryassociation.cmail20.com/t/i-e-zirjrid-itjhuidjdy-a/>
We just wanted to make sure you saw our email last week. It's vital that every library supporter contacts their Senators by April 17, so please act today<https://americanlibraryassociation.cmail20.com/t/i-l-zirjrid-itjhuidjdy-r/> – and then share this email!
See our original message below:
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Hi Kerri,
Thanks to library advocates like you, our library champions in the House of Representatives were able to EXCEED the number of signatures they got on the LSTA letter last year! We’re still waiting on the final total for the IAL letter, but this is a great start to the budget process for libraries.
Now, the Senate’s up: The two equivalent “Dear Appropriator” letters for library funding, led by Senator Jack Reed (RI), started circulating today! Urge your Senators to add their signatures to these letters by April 17!
Tell the Senate to Fund Libraries!<https://americanlibraryassociation.cmail20.com/t/i-l-zirjrid-itjhuidjdy-j/>
As you may know, “Dear Appropriator” letters are the first stage where the public can get involved in the federal budget process. Now that we’ve just about finished up with the House’s letters, it’s time for us to demonstrate equal or even stronger support for federal library funding in the Senate.
Like in the House, here’s what these two letters cover: One letter asks for robust funding for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the second letter supports the Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) program within the Department of Education. LSTA supports library programs in local communities nationwide, such as services for veterans and older adults, jobseeker resources, workforce development programs, internet access, early childhood programs, and much more. IAL gives high-needs school libraries across the country resources to help ease the child literacy crisis, which has continued to worsen since the pandemic.
If either program were eliminated, communities across America would lose significant library services. Because both letters cover quite different aspects of library funding, it’s important that your Senators sign both by the April 17 due date.
Message Your Senators!<https://americanlibraryassociation.cmail20.com/t/i-l-zirjrid-itjhuidjdy-t/>
President Trump’s budget has yet to be released, but we still expect it to include cuts to library programs and agencies that provide vital services. We need your help reminding your Senators that their constituents highly value library programs.
Thank you, as always, for taking action for our libraries.
Lisa R. Varga
Associate Executive Director, Public Policy & Advocacy
PS. Check to see if your Senators signed the “Dear Appropriator” letters last year on our Fund Libraries<https://americanlibraryassociation.cmail20.com/t/i-l-zirjrid-itjhuidjdy-i/> page!
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Contact Us
ALA Public Policy & Advocacy Office
Washington, D.C.
Phone: (202) 628-8410
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