For anyone participating in the upcoming legislative meet-ups, here is an updated version of the “talking points” that focuses on specific legislation (first story in ILA e-newsletter). “ILA Executive Board Determines Positions on Key Legislative Bills” The state budget remains the primary concern, especially in retaining full funding for the Secretary of State’s per-capita grants…
Author: Eric Edwards
Internet Filters and Online Health Information
In light of the reintroduction of Illinois Senate Bill 2784 (SB2784), the “Internet Screening in Public Libraries Act”, and the possible effects that this legislation would have on access to health information, here is a link to a study by the Kaiser Foundation. (The study is from 2002, but it is still well-regarded, and although…
ILA Legislative Meet-Ups REMINDER
This is just a reminder that the ILA’s legislative meet-ups are happening soon. If you are planning to attend, the schedule is below. Even if you missed the registration deadline or your elected officials are not covered by one of the meet-ups, you can still schedule your own meeting with them. South Suburban Breakfast in…
Action Needed on Filtering Legislation (Illinois SB2784)
Please note this important legislative alert from the Illinois Library Association. The alert concerns Senate Bill 2784, sponsored by Illinois State Senator Kwame Raoul (Democrat, 13th District-Chicago), which creates the “Internet Screening in Public Libraries Act”. A direct link to the legislation, which was introduced on January 30, is here: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=2784&GAID=12&GA=98&DocTypeID=SB&LegID=78649&SessionID=85 The main objection to this…
Illinois’ New Concealed-Carry Law
Hope everyone had a nice holiday. I’m sure many of you are aware that Illinois’ new concealed-carry law, which allows concealed carry by those individuals not deemed as posing a threat to the public, went into effect on January 1. As this article from the Springfield State Journal-Register notes, the law will not have much impact on…
Articles From ILA Newsletter of December 23, 2013
When you have a chance, please take a look at the following two articles from the latest edition of the Illinois Library Association’s newsletter. “For Illinois Senators, An Odd Public Friendship” This article discusses the unusual bipartisanship between Illinois’s U.S. Senators, Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk. (Such bipartisanship is uncommon in “split delegations”, or sets…
Legislative update from ILA–2014 action agenda
When you have a chance, please take a look at the 2014 action agenda proposed by the Illinois Library Association. http://www.ila.org/advocacy/public-policy-initiatives These cover general issues and goals, rather than specific legislation. Also, note that there are currently no initiatives tailored specifically to hospital and medical libraries. (This point came up at the ILA conference back…
Legislative Update from ILA
All: ILA included the following legislative update in its most recent newsletter. Note that most of the bills mentioned concern funding issues (specifically, either property taxes or the minimum wage). These types of bills require particularly strong action. If you plan to participate in one of the legislative meet-ups, or if you are scheduling your…
ILA Updates on Advocacy Events
There are a couple of items of interest in the latest news update from the Illinois Library Association. 2014 Advocacy Calendar It’s not too early to get key library advocacy dates on your calendar for 2014. Here goes: February 14: South Suburban Breakfast, Lockport February 14: West Suburban Lunch, Oak Brook February 17: North Suburban…