Show up for our libraries

Take action for our libraries

Tell the Senate to Fund Libraries!

The American Library Association (ALA) is calling on all library supporters to contact our Senators and urge them to protect federal funding for libraries by signing two letters that are currently circulating for their signatures. 

Both of these “Dear Appropriator” letters are needed to support library funding.

  1. The Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) asks for robust funding administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. 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.

  2. The second letter supports the Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) Program within the Department of Education. 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.

Thanks to library advocates like you, our library champions in the House of Representatives were able to EXCEED the number of signatures needed 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 it’s time to demonstrate equal or even stronger support for federal library funding in the Senate.

The two equivalent “Dear Appropriator” letters, led by Senator Jack Reed (RI), started circulating in the Senate on March 25. Because these letters cover quite different aspects of library funding, it’s important that our Senators sign both of them by the April 17 due date.

President Trump’s budget has yet to be released, but it is expected to include cuts to library programs and agencies that provide vital services. Your help is urgently needed to reinforce the message to our Senators that those cuts will not be acceptable to constituents who highly value library programs and services.

Please urge Senators Warren and Markey to add their signatures to these letters by April 17!

What you can do today

1. Make a phone call or send an email to your elected officials. 

Phone calls and emails take only a couple of minutes and send a strong message to elected officials that their constituents care enough to take time out of their day to make their voices heard. It’s extremely important that Congress receives a flood of calls opposing the IMLS’ dismantling. Calls do tend to get more attention. 

2. Ask a friend to make a call.

Once you have made your calls, see if you can get three friends who love libraries as much as you do to call as well.

What you can say (feel free to personalize):

Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I’m a constituent from Jamaica Plain. I’m calling to urge [ SENATOR NAME ] to support libraries and protect library funding by signing the LSTA and IAL letters that are currently awaiting his/her signatures in the Senate.

Contact information for Senators and Representatives for JP residents:

Not in JP? Check out 5Calls.org to find your three representatives.

3. Donate to support our library and its services: 

Become a member of the Friends of the JP Branch Library (all funds go directly to the JP library branch)

4. For up to date information on legal challenges and advocacy steps see: 

Show Up for Our Libraries | American Library Association

Additional information for advocacy tools, to stay informed and access latest updates: