PaLA Annual Conference Oct 2-5 2011 State College, PA

Link to conference Wiki:
https://sites.google.com/site/palaannualconference/home

Legislative Action Center of PaLA

A vote on the 2011-12 state budget is expected next week in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Your help is needed.
Your state representative needs to be reminded of the importance of library services supported by state funding, and that you support the library portion of the state budget under consideration in Harrisburg.
 
Link:  http://www.capwiz.com/ala/pa/home/

State Budget Update March 22, 2011

The PaLA Legislative Information Committee met on March 17, and we want to give you an update on Governor Corbett’s Executive Budget Proposal for PA library funding. The following is a chart that recaps funding over the last several years and compares it with the Governor's proposal for next year:


http://palibraries.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=406


Please send a letter or an email to the Governor:


Honorable Tom Corbett

Governor

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

225 Main Capitol Building

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120

E-mail form: http://www.governor.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/contact/2998/e-mail_the_governor%27s_office/465341

Welcome New Members

The South Central Chapter Leadership Team would like to extend a warm welcome to

Rosemarie Fox and Peter Petruski.

Message from Glenn Miller

PaLA Members. As you know, Governor Corbett's 2011-12 budget proposal largely sustains library funding at current levels. The Public Library Subsidy would remain at $53.5 million; the Library Access program and Services for the Visually Impaired would be level-funded, and State Library operations trimmed by 1.9%. Considering that the next state budget is some $4 billion out of balance, and that next year’s budget will include deep cuts in many worthwhile state services, the Governor’s proposal to preserve current funding levels for library services is welcome news. Now and in coming weeks, it will be important for library advocates to speak up in support of the library portion of the Governor’s budget proposal in this difficult budget climate. The budget will need to be approved by the legislature, so changes can still be made. PaLA asks that you send, • An email to your State Senator and State Representative to ask that they support the library funding levels recommended in Governor Corbett’s budget, and • An email to Governor Tom Corbett to thank him for recognizing the importance of libraries and for preserving library funding and services in his proposed budget. Here’s a link to more information and a sample email for your State Senator and State Representative: http://www.capwiz.com/ala/pa/issues/alert/?alertid=38282501 Here’s a link to more information and a sample email for Governor Corbett: http://www.capwiz.com/ala/pa/issues/alert/?alertid=38286501 Feel free to personalize the sample emails by adding stories about the great work carried out at your library. Either way, please send your messages as soon as possible. Why? Because the legislature is conducting budget hearing right now and over the next few weeks. This shapes up to be a tough and controversial budget and, as such, the legislature will take a hard look at any changes to the budget that Governor Corbett proposed. We need to insure that, whatever else happens, the library portion of the budget remains as the Governor has proposed. Thanks for your great support of libraries and for taking action now. We’ll keep you posted with further updates as the budget moves ahead. Glenn

Save the Date!

Drum roll please...

Save the date for this year's SCC Workshop and Business Meeting

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

More information to come! Stay tuned!