SCLA Advocacy Update: Thank Senator Gillibrand

The SCLA Executive Board voted to send a letter to our Senator Gillibrand thanking her for her support in standing up for IMLS and the rule of law. As library workers and/or  library supporters, we know that the work we do increases the quality of life for communities we serve and that we work to promote the greater good and it is wonderful to see our NYS senator is amplifying those sentiments by defending funding that was lawfully allocated to the IMLS.

Below is a copy of a letter expressing our gratitude to her.  We are incredibly grateful and proud of our senator but to continue to reinforce that libraries aren’t luxuries, they are lifelines, we must defend them. Please continue to contact your federal, state, and local representative and remind them of the importance of our work and that we, as a collective and individuals, work to make the lives of our communities better, and encourage your friends and family to do the same!; click here to find your state and federal representative.

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