The American Library Association’s Washington, D.C., office has identified the following issues affecting libraries as being especially crucial during the 114th session of Congress (2015-2017). Appropriations – Maintain level funding for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) in the FY 2016 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill Copyright –…
Author: Eric Edwards
Library Referenda in Illinois During 2014
During the 2014 election cycle, a number of referenda affecting Illinois libraries were placed on the ballot. The purpose of most referenda impacting libraries in Illinois and elsewhere is to increase the number of people who have access to library services. Library access is an especially critical issue in Illinois, since approximately one million of…
Federal Budget Passes–Government Shutdown Averted
The United States Senate just passed this year’s $1.1 trillion budget, by a vote of 56 to 40. (The budget still has to be signed into law by the President.) While it is not entirely clear what impact the budget, as a whole, will have on libraries, one thing is certain: there will be an…
Funding Increase for Providing Internet Access
On December 11, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) voted to raise fees on phone users, by about $2.00 per year, in order to increase funding for the E-Rate program. The program provides Internet access to schools in impoverished areas. Currently, annual funding for E-rate is about $2.4 billion; the fee increase will raise funding levels…
Proposed Changes to Library Systems Rules
Members of a library system may comment on proposed rule changes for library systems. This is in the Dec 5 Illinois Register, page 22526. Your library system has been forwarded this information. My main concern is membership to a library system when the library is totally virtual. If you have any comments, you may attend a…
2015 Legislative Meet-Ups Announced
The Illinois Library Association has announced its first round of legislative meet-ups for the upcoming Illinois General Assembly session. The meet-ups will be held in mid-February, with three of them in the Chicago area and one in the St. Louis area. South Suburban Breakfast-will be held in Tinley Park on Friday, February 13 West Suburban…
December 3 Update on Illinois HB3796
I am glad to report that the Illinois Senate voted earlier today to override Governor Quinn’s veto of Illinois House Bill 3796. (The vote was by a margin of 39 to 13; a three-fifths majority, or 36 out of a possible 59 votes, was needed.) House Bill 3796 amends the Freedom of Information Act, to…
Articles from Bates Continuing-Education Session
For anyone who’s interested, here are the three articles that Mary Ellen Bates highlighted in her continuing-education session. “What Are They Doing and What Do They Want: The Library Spaces Customer Survey at Edmonton Public Library”https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/perj/article/view/1967/2633#.VHysVcmKLZg This article discusses a survey, of patrons at the Edmonton Public Library, designed to determine how they use library…
Update on Illinois HB3796
I am happy to report that Governor’s Quinn veto of House Bill 3796, which amends the Freedom of Information Act, has been overridden. This past Wednesday, November 19, the Illinois House of Representatives voted 76-36 in favor of overriding the veto. The legislation now goes to the Illinois Senate, in which a three-fifths majority is…
Overview of 2014 Illinois Legislation
During this year’s ILA conference, representatives of several statewide advocacy organizations, including the ILA’s Public Policy Committee, gave updates on pieces of legislation from the current Illinois General Assembly session that are especially relevant to libraries. The following bills, in particular, were of special concern to legislative advocates this year. House Bill 3793-This is a…