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Colleagues,</div>
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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.</div>
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Kind Regards,</div>
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Kerri</div>
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<br>
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Kerri Ann Souto (she/her)</div>
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Government and Community Relations Coordinator</div>
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Suffolk Cooperative Library System<br>
627 N. Sunrise Service Road<br>
Bellport, NY 11713<br>
631-286-1600 Ext. 1333<br>
<a href="mailto:kerri@suffolknet.org" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">kerri@suffolknet.org</a></div>
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<div id="divRplyFwdMsg" dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size:11pt" color="#000000"><b>From:</b> ALA Public Policy & Advocacy <advocacyaction@ala.org><br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, March 31, 2026 12:01 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Kerri Souto <kerri@suffolknet.org><br>
<b>Subject:</b> RE: Tell your Senators to fund libraries!</font>
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<p style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0">ICYMI: The Senate owes its library support letters to leadership by April 17.</p>
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<p style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span class="x_font-arial" style="text-decoration:inherit"><span style="text-decoration:inherit; color:#080808">We just wanted to make sure you saw our email last week.
</span><strong><span style="text-decoration:inherit; color:#080808">It's vital that every library supporter contacts their Senators by April 17,</span>
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<span style="text-decoration:inherit; color:#1100ff">so please act today</span></a></strong>
<span style="text-decoration:inherit; color:#080808"> and then share this email!</span></span></p>
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<span class="x_font-arial" style="text-decoration:inherit"><em>See our original message below:</em></span></p>
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<p style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span class="x_font-arial" style="text-decoration:inherit"><span style="text-decoration:inherit; color:#080808">Hi Kerri,</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-top:20px; margin-bottom:0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span class="x_font-arial" style="text-decoration:inherit"><span style="text-decoration:inherit; color:#080808">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! Were still waiting on the final total for the IAL letter, but this is a great start to the budget process for libraries.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-top:20px; margin-bottom:20px"><span style="text-decoration:inherit; color:#080808"><strong>Now, the Senates up:
</strong>The two equivalent Dear Appropriator letters for library funding, led by Senator Jack Reed (RI), started circulating
<em>today</em>! <strong>Urge your Senators to add their signatures to these letters by April 17!</strong></span></p>
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<a href="https://americanlibraryassociation.cmail20.com/t/i-l-zirjrid-itjhuidjdy-j/" style="border-radius:4px; display:inline-block; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; line-height:24px; padding:12px 24px 13px 24px; text-align:center; text-decoration:none!important; color:#ffffff!important; box-shadow:inset 0 -2px 0 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.2); background-color:#ef3e36; font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Tell
the Senate to Fund Libraries!</a> </div>
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<p style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0"><span style="text-decoration:inherit; color:#080808">As you may know, Dear Appropriator letters are the first stage where the public can get involved in the federal budget process. Now that weve just about finished
up with the Houses letters, <strong>its time for us to demonstrate equal or even stronger support for federal library funding in the Senate.</strong></span></p>
<p style="margin-top:20px; margin-bottom:0"><span style="text-decoration:inherit; color:#080808">Like in the House, heres 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.</span></p>
<p style="margin-top:20px; margin-bottom:20px"><span style="text-decoration:inherit; color:#080808">If either program were eliminated, communities across America would lose significant library services.
<strong>Because both letters cover quite different aspects of library funding, its important that your Senators sign both by the April 17 due date.</strong></span></p>
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Your Senators!</a> </div>
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<p style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0"><span style="text-decoration:inherit; color:#080808">President Trumps budget has yet to be released, but we still expect it to include cuts to library programs and agencies that provide vital services.
<strong>We need your help reminding your Senators that their constituents highly value library programs.</strong></span></p>
<p style="margin-top:20px; margin-bottom:0"><span style="text-decoration:inherit; color:#080808">Thank you, as always, for taking action for our libraries. </span></p>
<p style="margin-top:20px; margin-bottom:20px"><span style="text-decoration:inherit; color:#080808">Lisa R. Varga <br>
<em>Associate Executive Director, Public Policy & Advocacy </em></span></p>
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<em><span style="text-decoration:inherit; color:#000000">PS. Check to see if your Senators signed the Dear Appropriator letters last year on our </span><a href="https://americanlibraryassociation.cmail20.com/t/i-l-zirjrid-itjhuidjdy-i/" data-emb-iscopy="true" style="text-decoration:underline; color:#57a607"><span style="text-decoration:inherit; color:#1100ff">Fund
Libraries</span></a><span style="text-decoration:inherit; color:#000000"> page! </span></em></p>
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