In this important election year, the Vermont Library Association’s Government Relations Committee is organizing regional legislative gatherings statewide during the week of November 17th, 2008. We have chosen this week because it is after the November elections, but before legislators are in full session in Montpelier. It is the optimum time in which to remind your legislators of the importance of public libraries, particularly in challenging economic times, and to put forward our ongoing agenda of additional support for libraries in Vermont.

We invite you and your library to participate in this. While the format of these gatherings has varied, they all provide an opportunity for legislators, librarians, and trustees to talk about library issues and the key part that libraries play in Internet access, job searching, and education. It is also an opportunity for us to hear about the legislative process and the agenda before them.

We need to meet with Legislators this year to thank them for their support for the new patron confidentiality law and to remind them that state funding for public libraries continues to be an important issue. Our goal is to keep this at the top of their agenda when state finances are stronger. We also want Legislators to ensure ongoing support for the Department of Libraries’ services to public libraries.

Click on the following link for instructions on organizing a gathering:  Legislative Gatherings How-to.