September 23, 2005
To: SDLA Membership
From: G. Chapman, Chair Library Issues Committee
Re: 2004 – 2005 Library Issues Committee Annual Report
Please find enclosed my final board report as Chair of the SDLA Library Issues Committee. I have appreciated the opportunity to be a part of the creation of an SDLA Lobbyist and the ongoing adoption of SDLA Legislation. It has been a rewarding experience that I hope will contribute to the long term viability of the Association in serving the membership’s needs.
The activities of the Library Issues Committee in the last year began with the presentation of the 2005 Legislative Platform at the 2004 October Conference. The membership rallied together on the following issues for the 2005 Legislative Session:
§ SDLN 1 FTE Staff Authority: 1 FTE authority for the existing SDLN training contract position. This is not an additional funding request since the membership fees pay for the position. If successful, this would make the position an ongoing FTE employee on the SDLN staff.
§ School Media Curriculum Specialists 2 FTE: 2 FTE certified school librarians with an MLS in Library Science. These positions would be in support of the reinstatement of SD School Media Standards and The No Child Left Behind Federal Act. $80,000 Funding Impact.
§ Adoption of voluntary School Library Standards
The Association members along with our SDLA Lobbyist Denny Duncan were successful with the adoption of the voluntary School Library Standards by the South Dakota Board of Education and the State Library Board. Also successful was approval for the SDLN 1 FTE training contract to staffing authority. The School Media Curriculum Specialists were not approved, but the awareness about the needs of school libraries was heard throughout the session and continues to be one of the priorities for the Association.
Included in the process of adopting an annual legislative platform, education issues for potential future legislation were discussed. This provides us a base to draw upon. The current education issues are a statewide historical newspaper database, public library districts, SDLN membership and staff funding. Two of the education issues have been moved forward as the recommended 2006 Legislative Platform:
§ $107,520 approximate funding for a Statewide Current
Newspaper Database for the
§ 2 SDLN FTE Staff Authority – this FTE authority request is not a funding request since the SDLN Membership pays the cost.
The development of the forthcoming legislative platform begins after the session in May and June. A recommended platform is then forwarded for the SDLA Board’s approval from the membership input meetings. The Board adopts a platform for distribution at the conference. The platform may still be evolving, since it is part of the State Library Budget. The cycle concludes with the announcement of the Governor’s Budget typically in December. It is a complex cycle but, given this is the Association’s third round in the legislative process, our ability to enact legislation has and will continue to have a track record of success.
To support the legislative platform there is a two level Communication Tree that is updated with each election of state legislators. The first level is a division of legislative districts by geographic location amongst legislators living within proximity of a Library Issues Committee Member. The second level represents librarians and advocates that are assigned to Library Issues Committee members as a main point contact with legislators. This insures rapid communication and a more meaningful message when relayed by a known person to the legislator. The success of the communication is dependent both on the person delivering the message and staying informed on the issues. The Association understands this need and addressed it by adopting an annual legislative platform that is widely distributed throughout the state, similarly distributed session updates, and seeking evaluations after the session to prepare for the next platform.
In addition to the Communication Tree, the success of legislation is also dependent upon membership input, the annual legislative platform and, most important, relationship building between legislators, librarians and library advocates. As all of us know, building a relationship is about taking the time to invest in a person. This is a skill easily achieved by librarians given our role as public service providers and it is a role we pride ourselves on. The learning curve the Association has worked upon is one of persistence, time, information, encouragement, and a willingness to volunteer. I am confident that the Association’s membership can and will continue to develop this key component just as the Association has historically developed and maintained collaboration with partnerships.
I
look forward to the future success of pending legislation that builds