Nebraska Library Association

Legislative Day postcards online

PDF files of the postcards used in this year's legislative day are now online. [Direct link]

Labels: Legislative

posted by webmaster @ 3:09 PM

Legislative Day registration form

Hello everyone-hope each and every one of you is enjoying '08 thus far. Linked below is the 2008 registration form for Legislative Day. Which will be held on February 12, the 12, the 12. :)

If you have never attended a Legislative Day, make it part of your New Year's resolution. I promise it's much easier than exercising, or dieting for that matter. Plus you get face time with the folks that decide some very important things. Don't you want a voice? I know you do, I've been to enough librarian gatherings!

On the form, there is a space to donate to help pay for a volunteer honoree or a senator's lunch, please know that any and all donations are welcome-not just $17 ones.

So send in your form, call up your senator and invite him/her, and then relax, knowing that you're ready to show why libraries matter on February 12th.

Jenni Puchalla
Legislative Chair

[Registration Form]

Labels: Legislative

posted by webmaster @ 4:05 PM

2008 Legislative Day

The 2008 Legislative Day is scheduled for February 12, 2008. Please mark your calendars and watch for more details.

Labels: Legislative

posted by webmaster @ 4:16 PM

Why Libraries Matter in your Community

The 2007 Legislative Committee is working on a long range plan to promote libraries and help inform the legislature. We want to hear from you why your library matters to your community. Is it literacy, access to technology or multi-cultural materials, information resources, or children/YA programs? Let me know, briefly and succinctly, Think Headlines, and we’ll use this information to formulate talking points and a frame work to make sure that the legislators know why libraries matter.

Please respond to jennip@alltel.net.

Labels: Legislative

posted by webmaster @ 10:12 AM

Call to arms for all Nebraska Librarians

The Legislature’s Appropriations Committee has developed its preliminary biennium budget recommendations for state agencies. The committee’s preliminary recommendation for the Library Commission would reduce the Commission’s operating budget by approximately $138,000 in state funds. This is a 5% state funds (suggest not including the state funds phrasing--might get people thinking it means State Aid) reduction based on the Commission’s current fiscal year appropriation. Since this is in the operating side of the budget, it could have dire consequences on Commission staffing and consequently on their ability to deliver the services we have come to count on. Those services being: ILL, Reference, Talking Book and Braille Service, Continuing Education -- think database training, NEBASE / OCLC training, Digitization training, Accreditation Workshops, Consulting, etc.

What can you do? First of all, if any of the legislators listed below are from your district, or area (pay attention Omaha and Lincoln folks) please contact them to let them know how much we rely on Commission services in our day to day work. Even if these legislators are not in your district, they need to be called by as many of us as can do so.

Please do not put this off. The hearing on the Commission's budget in March 13, and before then we need to let these folks know our thoughts on the proposed cut to the Commission's Operating Budget.

Click on the links below for phone numbers. And then Call

Appropriations Committee Members Chairperson: Sen. Lavon Heidemann -- District 1
Vice Chairperson: Sen. Lowen Kruse -- District 13
Members:
Sen. L. Patrick Engel -- District 17
Sen. Tony Fulton -- District 29
Sen. John N. Harms -- District 48
Sen. Danielle Nantkes -- District 46
Sen. John E. Nelson -- District 6
Sen. John Synowiecki -- District 7
Sen. John M. Wightman -- District 36

Labels: Legislative

posted by webmaster @ 3:51 PM

Legislative Day morning briefing

On Legislative Day, the first speaker at our morning briefing will be Senator Amanda McGill. She will be at the Woman's Club at 9:30. She is working on a fairly tight schedule, so we want to get started right away. Please, leave the morning coffee early enough to make your way across the street and be ready for Sen. McGill at 9:30. Following Sen. McGill will be former Senator, Marion Price. It should be an informative morning; please honor our guest speakers by being on time.

Labels: Legislative

posted by webmaster @ 4:49 PM

Youth Volunteer Winners recognized.

The Nebraska Library Association Legislative Committee has selected their Youth Volunteers Winners from a list of worthy Nominations; these individuals will be recognized at Library Legislative Day on February 14, 2007 in Lincoln. The nominations list consists of youth who have contributed in some way to their public or school library on a volunteer basis.

You can view the Nominations & Winners here. Last year, we recognized youth from across the state in the same manner. They were also recognized from the Legislative floor by the Speaker of the Legislature. They were guests at the Legislative Luncheon held at the Cornhusker Hotel where a senator from their district presented them with an award.

Labels: Legislative, YA

posted by webmaster @ 8:54 AM

More Legislative Day Information

This is just an update -- one of many more you will get as Legislative Day approaches. NLA's Legislative Committee is preparing informational postcards to be delivered daily to the senators. This will begin a week before Legislative Day. Each post card will emphasize services and programs delivered to our patrons throughout libraries in Nebraska. There will be two other items mentioned that we are asking your senator to support: 1) The Nebraska Library Commission's budget request which includes an extra $350,000 for the purchase of more databases. and 2) the Library Systems' Health Benefit bill. This will make state insurance benefits available to Library System employees.

Please make note of these; be ready to talk to your senator briefly about them AND don't be fooled into thinking that your Senator has already heard about either of these items. Yes, we are delivering post cards and Ken Winston, our lobbyist is on the job, but the senators have a lot of information coming at them and some of this information gets pushed out or falls through the cracks. The more mouths our message comes from, the better.

If I haven't already said it, please note that the senators are a lot more apt to listen to someone from their own district. That is why it is so important for you to attend Legislative Day, talk to your senator and bring him or her to lunch.

Ted Smith
Legislative Committee Chair

Labels: Legislative

posted by webmaster @ 10:33 AM

Legislative Day Update

NLA's Library Legislative Day is February 14. As of today, there are 16 Senators and one Aide who have indicated that they will be attending the luncheon at the Cornhusker. Those Senators are: Burling, Carlson, Engle, Fischer, Flood, Harms, Howard, Hudkins, Janssen, Harpisek, Kopplin, Stuthman, Synowiecki, Wallmanwith his aide and Wightman. If any of these folks are from your district, please help us by calling them to confirm their attendance, offer to escort them to the Cornhusker and pay for their lunch.

If your Senator is not on the above list, please call him or her today and invite them to the luncheon -- and the morning coffee. Again, pay for their lunch, escort them to the luncheon and sit with them throughout the activities. Last year we had a few senators sitting alone while librarians from their district or community sat at separate tables. This is not a time to catch up with peers. It is a time to get some face time with our senators.

If you have not registered for the day, please do so soon. Don't shrug off your responsibility, hoping someone else will take care of inviting your senator.

Labels: Legislative

posted by webmaster @ 11:47 AM

Help wanted for Legislative Day

This call for help goes out to anyone who lives in or around Lincoln. Beginning a week before Legislative Day on February 14, a group of volunteers is needed to help pass out post cards to each of our 49 senators. The post cards will highlight programs and services offered by through Nebraska's libraries. Each day a different post card will need to be delivered so that by Legislative Day our senators will have each received seven post cards.

This is fun and it really doesn't take a long time, but we need your help. As I said, if you live in, or near Lincoln, or if you are going to be in Lincoln on any of these days, please volunteer to help us out.

Our contact people are:
Brenda Ealey: bsealey@alltel.net and Jenni Puchalla: jennip@alltel.net.

Their phone number is: 402-467-6188 or 800-288-6063

Labels: Legislative

posted by webmaster @ 8:56 AM

Invite your senators

By now all of you have (hopefully) received a registration form for Legislative Day to be held on February 14. A wonderful group of library folks have made the first contact will all of the senators to inform them of Legislative Day. So, NOW is the time to call and invite your senator to attend the luncheon at the Cornhusker. Please do this ASAP. These people are busy and their free time gets booked quickly. So please, strike while the iron is hot and invite your senator to lunch on the 14th of February. Do it today. THEN don't forget to send in your registration. Thanks. [Legislative Day Registration Form]

Labels: Legislative

posted by webmaster @ 3:19 PM

Scholarships for Legislative Day

The Paraprofessional Section is currently offering two scholarships to NLA Para's to attend NLA Legislative Day, Feb. 14. We are hoping to encourage Paras to be more active in government issues and make them aware of how legislative issues can affect libraries. For more information on Legislative day, click here. The scholarship recipients will be asked to submit an article about their experience to the Para's newsletter. If you are interested submit a request to jwrampe@nlc.state.ne.us, please include your name, address, email, phone, and library affiliation.

Labels: Legislative, Paras

posted by webmaster @ 1:34 PM

Legislative Day Update

Just to let you all know, registration forms for Legislative Day (February 14) will be out right after the first of the year. The cost for meals this year is $16, and please consider paying for a Senator even if you can't attend the meeting. We really need a good turn out for this event. You all need to call your Senator's office ASAP to invite him/her to our luncheon at the Cornhusker that day.

We are trying to reach you all in as many ways as possible, so you will also find a registration form in your upcoming system newsletters. Please be sure to register by the 29th of January. All registration forms should be sent to Devra Dragos at the Nebraska Library Commission, 1200 N Street, The Atrium, Suite 120, Lincoln, NE 68508-2023.

Again, I will be sending all NLA members a registration form for Library Legislative Day right after the first of the year.

Ted Smith,
Legislative Committee Chair

Labels: Legislative

posted by webmaster @ 1:07 PM