Rally the Troops
Rebekkah Smith Aldrich (MHLS)
legislators to return to Albany for a Special Legislative Session on
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 to consider further cuts in the 2008 -2009 State
Budget. The New York Library Association (NYLA) is organizing a rally for
that Tuesday, (November 18th) at 1:00pm, the day of the scheduled Special
Legislative Session in Albany. NYLA has submitted paperwork to NYS Office of
General Services to reserve the East Capitol Park/Steps to hold the rally,
and has applied for a public demonstration permit from the City of Albany.
In partnership with the Ramapo Catskill Library System we would like to send
a bus-load of advocates to Albany that day. The cost per person will likely
be around $18. The Bus would likely follow the lobby day schedule - leave
from Newburgh around 10:30am and hit one or two NYS Thruway exits in the
MHLS boundaries.
If you would be available to participate in the rally please let me know by
the Thursday, October 23. If there are sufficient numbers of people
interested RCLS will rent a bus to get us to Albany and back.
We need to have at least 250 people at the rally make an impression, (more
would be better) and show our legislators that we are concerned about
further cuts in State Aid to libraries.
For those of you attending the NYLA Conference in Saratoga Springs there
will be a rally to oppose further cuts in Library Aid on Saturday, November
8th at 12:15 (right before the Farewell Luncheon) outside the Saratoga
Springs Civic Center. NYLA will issue press release and invite media to
attend to get coverage in the Sunday papers.
NYLA will be posting letter on its web site for library advocates to
send/fax/email to their Legislators and the Governor opposing any further
cuts in library funding. Attendees at the NYLA Conference will have
opportunity to use the Internet Cafe to send letters while they are in
Saratoga Springs.
We will also try to be arrange meetings within our legislators at their
district offices between now and November 18th to urge legislators to oppose
any further cuts in library funding citing three main talking points:
1) Library usage is up and now is not the time to cut library funding.
2) Library aid has already been cut twice and now its time for others to
shoulder their fair share of the burden.
3) Libraries are part of educational system and are providing life long
learning to people of all ages as we strive to improve student academic
achievement and retool our workforce for the Digital Age economy.
NYLA's 2009 Budget Priorities are on their web site at www.nyla.org under
Headlines.
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Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Coordinator of Member Information
Mid-Hudson Library System
103 Market Street
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
845.471.6060 x39
FX: 845.454.5940
http://midhudson.org