(via Megan Cusick, ALA)
We are pleased to announce that ALA will host a virtual Legislative Summit on Saturday, October 16, from 12:00 to 3:30 PM CDT. Please note that this is not a public event, since it is intended for key legislative liaisons within ALA and its statewide organizations and space is limited.
In recent years, state library associations have needed to address adverse legislation challenging intellectual freedom, privacy, and local community control of the library. These bills, which have gained traction in legislatures throughout the United States, range from internet censorship and filtering to the removal of library workers’ longstanding protections under harmful to minors laws, to the more recent attempts to ban the teaching of history, social sciences, and culture related to BIPOC, LGBTQ, and other marginalized populations.
This summit will explore the history of these bills, the groups supporting them, examples from states that have dealt with them already, and updates from impacted partner entities. It will also include strategies for proactive and responsive advocacy for your organization. Participants will receive a toolkit and the opportunity for follow-up assistance.
Even if your state has not yet experienced these bills, this session will help keep your organization apprised of national efforts that impact libraries of all types and will provide strategies that support all of your advocacy work. In addition, it will establish a dialogue among state legislative contacts that can be sustained during upcoming legislative sessions.
Who should attend? We ask that your organization identify key participants who are:
- Representatives of ALA’s divisions and statewide stakeholder groups (state association, state library, etc.).
- The organization’s point person on advocacy, legislation, and/or intellectual freedom who is able to share information with organizational leadership and relevant committees.
All participants should be:
- Committed to sharing information with ALA on related legislation impacting their stakeholder group, in order to strengthen coordination and advocacy across states.
- Committed to responding to a brief post-event survey and working with ALA to schedule any desired follow-up with respective organizations (e.g., training, strategizing).
- Committed to preserving the confidentiality of information, strategy, and documents shared during the Summit.
The summit will not be recorded, and advance registration is required. Register by completing this form.
If you have any questions, please contact Deborah Caldwell-Stone, at dstone@ala.org, or Megan Cusick, at mcusick@ala.org.