ALAWON v4n40 (May 12, 1995)
URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v4n40

****Begin File******************Begin File*******************Begin File****
***************************************************************************
                                                             ISSN 1069-7799
                                  ALAWON
                      ALA Washington Office Newsline
                     An electronic publication of the
              American Library Association Washington Office
 
                            Volume 4, Number 40
                               May 12, 1995
 
   In this issue: (228 lines)
     ACTION ALERT:
        *  HOUSE SUPPORT NEEDED IMMEDIATELY FOR LSTA
        *  BACKGROUND:  BLOCK GRANT PROPOSAL SUMMARY
        *  HOUSE ECONOMIC AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMITTEE MEMBERS
    =20
***************************************************************************
 
ACTION ALERT:  ALAWON asks all library supporters to respond immediately
and assertively to this ACTION ALERT.  Much has been written here and
elsewhere about the current political climate.  The following report on the
issue of working to get a separate library block grant for library programs
demonstrates how critical the situation is right now for the survival of
any type of library programs at the federal level.  We know the importance
of the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) and other library
programs to leverage local support and initiate new and cooperative library
services, especially in the area of technology.
 
Library advocates must speak up now to Congress and must garner additional
support from other library users and supporters to fight to preserve a
federal role for library development and technology.
 
***************************************************************************
 
      HOUSE SUPPORT NEEDED IMMEDIATELY FOR LSTA BLOCK GRANT PROPOSAL
 
Attendees at Library Legislation Day on May 9 advocated for a separate
library block grant version of the revised Library Services and Technology
Act in response to the House Subcommittee proposal to include libraries in
the adult education and literacy block grant.
 
A shorter version of the library community's proposed LSTA has been shared
with a number of congressional offices by the ALA Washington Office.
 
The House Opportunities Committee legislation has not yet been introduced
at this writing, but introduction is imminent.  A subcommittee markup is
scheduled for May 16, with full committee consideration on May 24--fast
track action on this major bill.
 
ACTION NEEDED:  Recommend that the House Opportunities Committee approve
LSTA in simplified form as a separate library block grant in substitution
for making library programs part of an adult education and literacy block
grant.
 
All members of the full Economic and Educational Opportunities Committee
need immediate follow-up contact from Library Legislative Day visitors and
from all other library constituents.  The full list of committee members is
included below.
 
For background on this subject, the fact sheet included in Library
Legislative Day packets is also attached.
 
***************************************************************************
 
                                BACKGROUND
 
                           BLOCK GRANT PROPOSAL
                                May 5, 1995
 
       House Committee Would Merge Library Programs Into Block Grant
 
The House Economic and Educational Opportunities Committee staff announced
at a briefing on May 4 their intention to introduce on May 10 a package of
four block grants for (1) Youth Workforce Preparation, (2) Vocational
Rehabilitation, (3) Adult Training, and (4) Adult Education and Literacy.
 
Title IV of this proposal, the Adult Education, Family Literacy and Library
Technology Consolidation Grant, according to the committee briefing sheet:
 
     Consolidates federal library programs into the block grant
     mentioned above, focusing funds on library technologies for the
     21st century. These funds will be used to link libraries
     electronically to one-stop centers, Labor Market Information
     networks, the Internet, and other libraries.
 
An as yet unspecified percentage of funds paid to each governor under this
title would be provided to the state library administrative agency for the
following purposes:
 
     (A) Electronically connecting libraries and one-stop career
     centers [as established elsewhere in the proposal].
 
     (B) Establishing or enhancing linkages among libraries.
 
     (C) Assisting libraries in accessing information through
     electronic networks.
 
     (D) Encouraging libraries in different Federal, State, and local
     jurisdictions, and different types of libraries, to establish
     consortia and share resources.
 
     (E) Paying costs for libraries to acquire or share computer
     systems and telecommunications technologies.
 
_Libraries_ means all types of libraries. The proposal provides for the
repeal of the Library Services and Construction Act, the new ESEA School
Library Media Resources Program, and the Higher Education Act title II,
library programs.
 
Funds for title IV would be distributed to states based first on adults
without a high school diploma or GED, and second on the state population. A
match of 25 percent is required.
 
(The total amount of funds for title IV is not specified. Block grants
usually involve significantly less funding than the total of the programs
in the consolidation. Current funding for adult education and literacy
programs totals about $400 million. Thus, the library percentage might
amount to much less than the current $142 million in library program
funding.)
 
              LSTA PROVIDES A LIBRARY BLOCK GRANT SUBSTITUTE
 
ACTION NEEDED:  Include the library community's proposed Library Services
and Technology Act, in simplified block grant form, in the House
Opportunities Committee block grant proposal as a substitute for the May 3
draft library provision.
 
Why LSTA?  The proposed Library Services and Technology Act, cooperatively
developed by the library community, is already a major consolidation,
simplification, and updating of LSCA. Simplified to essentials, it would
provide a more flexible library block grant to stimulate improved library
service for a broader range of government purposes and to meet the needs of
the public for information.
 
LSTA would ensure that libraries use new technology and provide outreach
services=FE
 
*    not just for lifelong learning and literacy, but also for
*    organizing and providing access to government information,
*    undergirding economic development,
*    providing consumer health information,
*    providing incentives for interlibrary cooperation, since most local
     funding serves local purposes,
*    adapting new technologies for cross-boundary information sharing,
*    extending outreach to those for whom library service requires extra
     effort or special materials (new Americans, individuals with
     disabilities).
 
***************************************************************************
 
          HOUSE ECONOMIC AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMITTEE
 
ST Representative (Party)        Phone     Fax       E-Mail
=3D=3D =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D    =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D  =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D  =3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
                                   Area Code 202     @hr.house.gov
   Chairman
PA Goodling, William F. (R)      225-5836  226-1000
AR Hutchinson, Tim (R)           225-4301  226-1163
CA Becerra, Xavier (D)           225-6235  225-2202
CA Cunningham, Randy (R)         225-5452  225-2558=20
CA Martinez, Matthew G. (D)      225-5464  225-5467=20
CA McKeon, Howard P. (R)         225-1956  226-0683  tellbuck
CA Miller, George  (D)           225-2095  225-5609  gmiller
CA Riggs, Frank (R)              225-3311  225-7710=20
CA Woolsey, Lynn (D)             225-5161  225-5163  woolsey
DE Castle, Michael N. (R)        225-4165  225-2291=20
FL Weldon, Dave (R)              225-3671  225-3516
GA Norwood, Charles (R)          225-4101  226-1466  ga10
HI Mink, Patsy T. (D)            225-4906  225-4987
IL Fawell, Harris W. (R)         225-3515  225-9420  hfawell
IL Reynolds, Mel (D)             225-0773  225-0774
IN McIntosh, David (R)           225-3021  225-3382
IN Roemer, Timothy (D)           225-3915  225-6798
IN Souder, Mark (R)              225-4436  225-3479
KS Meyers, Jan (R)               225-2865  225-0554
MI Hoekstra, Peter (R)           225-4401  226-0779
MI Kildee, Dale E. (D)           225-3611  225-6393
MI Knollenberg, Joe (R)          225-5802  226-2356
MO Clay, William L. (D)          225-2406  225-1725
MO Talent, James M. (R)          225-2561  225-2563  talentmo
MT Williams, Pat (D)             225-3211  226-0244
NC Ballenger, Thomas C. (R)      225-2576  225-0316
NC Funderbunk, David (R)         225-4531  225-3191
NE Barrett, William E. (R)       225-6435  225-0207
NJ Andrews, Robert E. (D)        225-6501  225-6583
NJ Payne, Donald M. (D)          225-3436  225-4160
NJ Roukema, Marge (R)            225-4465  225-9048
NY Engel, Eliot L. (D)           225-2464  225-5513  engeline
NY Owens, Major R. (D)           225-6231  226-0112
OH Sawyer, Thomas C. (D)         225-5231  225-5278
PA Greenwood, Jim (R)            225-4276  225-9511
PR Romero-Barcelo, Carlos (D)    225-2615  225-2154
RI Reed, Jack (D)                225-2735  225-9580
SC Graham, Lindsey (R)           225-5301  225-3216
TX Green, Gene (D)               225-1688  225-9903  ggreen
TX Johnson, Sam (R)              225-4201  225-1485  samtx03
VA Scott, Robert C. (D)          225-8351  225-3854
WI Gunderson, Steve (R)          225-5506  225-6195
WI Petri, Thomas E. (R)          225-2476  225-2356
 
  All e-mail addresses end with suffix at top of e-mail column.
 
***************************************************************************
 
ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is an irregular publication of the American Library
Association Washington Office, 110 Maryland Avenue, N.E., Washington, DC
20002-5675.  Internet: alawash@alawash.org; Phone: 202-547-4440;=20
Fax: 202-547-7363.  Contributing to this issue:  Mary Costabile, Carol C.
Henderson and Claudette W. Tennant;  Editor: Lynne E. Bradley
(leb@alawash.org).
 
ALAWON is available free of charge and is available only in electronic
form.  To subscribe, send the message "subscribe ala-wo [your name]" to
listserv@uicvm (Bitnet) or listserv@uicvm.uic.edu (Internet).  Back issues
and other documents are available from the list server.  To find out what's
available, send the message "send ala-wo filelist" to the listserv.  The
ALA-WO filelist contains the list of files with the exact filename and
filetype.  To get a particular file, issue the command "send filename
filetype" to the listserv.  Do not include the quotes in your commands.
 
All materials in the newsletter subject to copyright by the American
Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial
purposes with appropriate credits.  For other reprinting or redistribution,
address requests to the ALA Washington Office (alawash@alawash.org).
 
***************************************************************************
***End of file******************End of file******************End of file***

