WLA Library Legislative Day

This coming Tuesday, February 22, 2011 is Library Legislative Day. The goal of the event is to send a clear message to the Governor and legislators that libraries are crucial to Wisconsin's economy. This is a state advocacy event on library issues that is held in Madison. State funding is key for all library types in Wisconsin (academic, public, school, etc.) and is therefore crucial for Wisconsin citizens and our livelihood.

How does this affect library school programs and different library types:

• About 20% of the budget for public universities and their libraries comes from state revenue.
• Public libraries depend on state funding to support public library systems.
• School libraries depend on state funding through the Common School fund.
• All of these libraries use: Badgerlink (state-licensed databases funded by State Universal Service Fund)
• Library Service Contracts (Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library, Wisconsin Library Services (WiLS), Milwaukee Public Library/ Interlibrary Loan (MPL), and Cooperative Children's Book Center (assists with intellectual freedom))
• Broadband 
• Statewide delivery 

For those unable to attend the event, there is also Virtual Library Legislative Day which allows you to e-mail, call, or write to your legislator on February 22nd.