Suffolk County Library Association
Where:
SCLS
627 Sunrise Hwy
Bellport, NY 11713
Nominations are officially open for this year’s Excellence in Library Service Awards. So, if you know someone who you feel deserves to be recognized for going above and beyond in the library world, print out and fill out the form below and get those recommendation letters written. The brochure with full details of the award can be found here. Nominations will be open until July 31, 2025 so anything emailed, mailed or sent through system will be accepted until then.
As always, we look forward from hearing about all the wonderful library workers we have here in Suffolk County.
Feel like the auto dealership is taking advantage of you, have no idea about car buying or servicing? Need to know the real car facts? Have we got an expert for you!!!
Please join us for the DASL annual luncheon special talk by Brent Thompson, professor of automotive technology, presentation, and q & a. Lunch
Where: Nosh Restaurant 470 Wheeler Rd, Hauppauge, NY 11788
When: May 21, 2025 1:00 p.m.
$15 for lunch and presentation (you can’t beat that combination)
All members of SCLA, its divisions, library personnel, and those interested in joining SCLA are welcome!
The SCLA Executive Board has issued an official statement on behalf of The Association. The statement is attached to this email and will be on our website shortly. We urge you to read it – and more importantly, to take action.
Contact Your Representatives Today
We strongly encourage you to reach out to the following individuals, especially if you are a constituent. Tell them what libraries mean to you, and why this funding must be restored.
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Andrew Garbarino 31 Oak Street Suite 20 Patchogue, NY 11772 Phone: (631) 541-4225 |
Nicholas LaLota 515 Hauppauge Road Suite 3B Hauppauge, NY 11788 Phone: (631) 289-1097 |
What Should You Say?
Why This Matters
Here’s what is now possibly at risk with the loss of this funding:
Our Message Is Simple
“Libraries are essential to me, my family, and my community – we vote, and we want this funding restored. Do what you must to reverse these cuts.”
We know that these are uncertain times, but these times require action. Raise your voice and tell everyone that our libraries are worth fighting for.
And please fill out the following forms/petitions:
The Honorable Kirsten Gillibrand
155 Pinelawn Road
Suite 250 North
Melville, NY 11747
Dear Senator Gillibrand,
On behalf of the Suffolk County Library Association, representing the dedicated library professionals serving over one million residents across Suffolk County, New York, I extend our deepest gratitude and appreciation for your continued leadership and advocacy on behalf of America’s libraries and museums.
We are especially appreciative of your recent letter, co-authored with Senators Jack Reed, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski, to Acting Director Keith Sonderling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Your dedication to the rule of law, your support for the full and timely implementation of the Museum and Library Services Act (MLSA) of 2018, and your recognition of the importance of the $294.8 million in appropriated funds, affirms what we know to be true: libraries are not luxuries – they are lifelines.
Federal funding provided through IMLS makes it possible for libraries to deliver critical services like but not limited to: early literacy, digital inclusion, workforce development, and civic engagement. As frontline community institutions, libraries across Suffolk County use these investments to serve the evolving needs of our residents.
We respectfully urge you to continue pressing your colleagues in Congress to support library funding and protect the role of IMLS in sustaining library infrastructure nationwide. Your voice carries weight, and your continued advocacy is paramount in ensuring that these vital services remain accessible to all.
Thank you once again for standing with us and with the communities we serve.
On behalf of the Suffolk County Library Association Board,
Anthony Giansante
President
Suffolk County Library Association
All members of SCLA, its divisions, library personnel, and those interested in joining SCLA are welcome!
Suffolk County Library Association’s (SCLA) Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order Eliminating IMLS Funding
The Suffolk County Library Association (SCLA) strongly opposes the Executive Order issued on March 14, 2025, which advances the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) which is the only federal agency solely dedicated to supporting libraries and museums across the United States.
The IMLS plays a vital role in ensuring equitable access to information, education, technology, and community services for all Americans. Through programs like the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), IMLS funding aids local libraries in offering essential services, including early literacy initiatives, workforce development programs, technology access, services for veterans, and resources for lifelong learning. In New York State alone, IMLS provided nearly $20 million in FY2024 to sustain these critical services.
Libraries throughout Suffolk County use IMLS-administered funding to help meet the needs of our diverse communities. From homework help and job search support to digital literacy training and language learning programs, the resources provided through IMLS are foundational to the work our community libraries do every day. Eliminating IMLS would not only devastate these programs but also widen the digital divide, reduce community access to knowledge, and undermine the infrastructure that supports lifelong learning in every corner of Suffolk County.
In solidarity with the New York Library Association, SCLA urges President Trump to reverse his decision and we call on our federal, state, and local elected officials to do what they must to reject this harmful proposal and to stand in support of libraries, their workers, and the millions of individuals and families they serve. We urge residents across Suffolk County to speak out in defense of the IMLS and advocate for continued investment in library services that strengthen communities and change lives.
If you have not done so, please consider becoming a library advocate and signing NYLA’s petitions: Protect Our Libraries – Increase State Funding Now! & Defend IMLS Now!
Libraries are not a luxury, they are a lifeline. Now more than ever, we must fight to preserve and protect them.
If you are looking for a way to express your support for libraries, please take a moment to participate in NYLA’s call to action.
Dear NYLA Members,
On March 14, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order advancing elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). We are asking all members to take action! We have two Take Action campaigns we are asking all members to sign and share.
Our federal take action Demands that Congress act to defend IMLS now!
Our State level take action asks our legislators to protect NYS libraries by increasing funding.