The National E-book Summit

RF Friends from ALA's ASCLA Group have shared some information about the upcoming National E-book Summit, which will be this Friday, right before ALA Annual in New Orleans.

RF representatives have been invited and will report back on the summit.

"As discussed at previous ASCLA consortial ebook interest group meetings, an ALA national ebook summit has been planned.

For planning and financial purposes, we had to keep the summit to a small number and were unable to invite everyone to this event.  

The goals of the ALA national ebook summit is as follows: 

•    Facilitate conversation and critical thinking about improving access to eBooks and to strengthening our approach to analysis and evaluation around eBooks;

•    Build connections and understanding across all the different players in the eBook field; and to

•    Document the ideas and paths forward into a national agenda that we will share widely and draw in more partners to work on current and new projects and next steps.
 
But never fear, Friday’s summit is only the beginning – it marks a place on the road already travelled by several initiatives, but this effort is the start of an inclusive collaboration that will identify concrete next steps to resolve the digital dilemmas affecting all players; we’re not just pointing at the issues.

Much like many of you, we’re committing to work together, to each put skin in the game, to make the ebook business work better for all partners and all readers.
 
We will restart the ASCLA consortial ebook interest group meetings back up at the ALA midwinter conference in Seattle.

If you are attending ALA, we look forward to seeing you in and around NOLA at the various ebook events being convened by our friends at DPLA and ALA. 

Thanks to all of you for being a BIG part of the momentum that keeps this conversation and collaboration going. 

We couldn’t do it without you!

Yours in library love,

Paula MacKinnon, Califa Library Group
Veronda J. Pitchford, Reaching Across Illinois Library System
Stephen H. Spohn, Jr., Massachusetts Library System

Satterwhite: Not Quite the End of Net Neutrality"

Ellen Satterwhite has written a thoughtful article for ALA's Library Policy News discussing efforts at the federal and state level to block the repeal of net neutrality rules.

"The good news is, consumers and patrons are unlikely to see changes to the internet service they buy today. The bad news is, there’s now no 'cop on the beat,' no enforceable protections that are essential to ensuring open and nondiscriminatory access to online information for all.

If Internet Service Providers are allowed to control or manipulate the content of internet communications — to block, throttle and prevent you from accessing the internet any way you want — then the work of modern libraries becomes that much harder. But there are opportunities for relief."

ReadersFirst supports efforts to re-establish net neutrality or to foster state/local enforcement of it and encourages library readers to take action.

You can help by:

1. Continuing to tell your members of Congress (or thanking them!) that net neutrality is critical to the modern library and our communities through our action alert.
2. If your plans and means allow, joining a #DayofAction for net neutrality allies in Washington, D.C. on June 26 sponsored by our allies. Here is a link to register.
3. Initiating or joining in-district events when your members of Congress are home for recess. Invite them to a library, talk about what an open internet means for your patrons and community–be like Dave Mantz!
4. Tell your ISP (and your local media and your patrons) that you are watching and expect them to respect their commitments to an open internet. In fact, you’d like them to put it in writing.

  Michael Blackwell, St Mary's County Library

Take Action for the Marrakesh Treaty

This post is from our Friend at the ALA Washington Office:

Advocacy Alert: Marrakesh Treaty

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After many years of hard work, we are one step closer to seeing the Marrakesh Treaty implemented in the United States.

The Marrakesh Treaty is an international copyright treaty that was adopted by the World Intellectual Property Organization and signed by the U.S. in October 2013. It provides a copyright exception - the first ever in an international treaty - for libraries as authorized entities to make accessible copies of articles and books for people with print disabilities and distribute those copies across borders.

Right now, over 3.2 million people in the United States live with print disabilities that make it difficult for them to read print text. Moreover, less than 5% of published content is available to them. If the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act is passed the United States will be able to provide a wealth of new accessible content to Americans with print disabilities, including those who speak English as a second language. In many ways, this is a civil rights law. It affirms that access to information is a universal right for all people regardless of circumstance.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is set to vote on S. 2559 tomorrow. Please contact your Senator today and ask them to show their support for people with print disabilities by cosponsoring the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act (S. 2559).

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Want to learn more? Read about it here.

ReadersFirst joins ALA in asking for action. We are committed to having e-books be as accessible as possible, and the Marrakesh Treaty would be most helpful in promoting this goal.

Back to the FY 2019 budget

More from our friends at the ALA Washington Office:

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What Happened

Now that we are finished with the House, the "Dear Appropriator" letters have begun circulating in the Senate, asking Senators to preserve over $210 million in federal library funding for FY 2019. One letter asks the Senate Appropriations Committee to fully fund the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and the second asks for full funding for the Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) program.

Why It Matters

The more Senators who sign these letters, the better the chance that the funding for the LSTA and IAL programs will be preserved, especially as the battle for domestic spending becomes more intense and Members of Congress look for programs to cut. These programs represent the bulk of federal funding provided for libraries. IAL is the only dedicated federal funding provided for school libraries. Moreover, under the rules of LSTA, states are required to match one third of their federal contribution. This means any cut to LSTA in the FY2019 budget will lead to a budget reduction at the state level.

What You Can Do Now

Many Senators will only sign a "Dear Appropriator" letter if their constituents ask them. Use the Action Center to send your Senators an email and ask them to contact Senator Reed's office to sign on to the LSTA and IAL letters.

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Please support federal library funding, which has been instrumental in allowing libraries to help improve the digital experience.

Advocacy Alert: #FundLibraries Update

Our Friends at the ALA Washington Office have shared a call to restore Library Funding.  Please help!

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What Happened

This year's "Dear Appropriator" letters have started to circulate in the House, asking Representatives to preserve at least $210 million in federal library funding. One letter asks members of the House Appropriations Committee to fully fund the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and the second does the same for the Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) program.

Why It Matters

The battle for domestic spending is becoming more intense, and Congress is looking for programs to cut. The more members of Congress who sign these letters, the better the chance that the Appropriators will preserve the funding for the LSTA and IAL programs. And as you know from our previous emails, these programs represent the bulk of the federal funding that is provided for libraries. Under the rules of LSTA, states are required to match one third of their federal contribution. Any cut to LSTA in the FY 2019 budget will likely lead to a cut in library funding at the state level. Additionally, IAL is the only dedicated federal funding provided for school libraries.

What You Can Do Now

Many Representatives will only sign on to a "Dear Appropriator" letter if their constituents ask them! Use the ALA Action Center to send your representative an email and ask them to contact Rep. Raul Grijalva's office to sign on to the LSTA letter and Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) to sign on to the IAL letter.

Time is short - the deadline for the letters is March 19th, so don't delay!

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Not sure if your Rep. has signed yet? Check our tracker.

Need more information? Check out our lastest post on District Dispatch.

And stay tuned! The Senate will soon be circulating "Dear Appropriator" letters of their own. We'll be back with more updates soon.

#OneMoreVote to Restore Net Neutrality

Join our friends at the ALA in asking for the restoration of Net Neutrality:

Send your message here:  https://cqrcengage.com/ala/app/write-a-letter?2&engagementId=443593

The FCC voted to gut the net neutrality protections that limit the power of Internet Service Providers – like Verizon and Comcast – to slow websites, block mobile apps, or in any way control the information we access. This 3-2 vote to roll back strong, enforceable net neutrality protections was made amid widespread protests, millions of public comments and overwhelming opposition from across the political spectrum. 

Modern libraries rely on the internet to collect, create and disseminate essential online information and services to the public. Strong, enforceable net neutrality rules, like the ones Chairman Pai just rushed to dismantle, are critical to keeping the internet working the way it does now. 

The Congressional Review Act gives Congress the ability and authority to nullify the FCC's actions -- and we already have 50 votes in the Senate. With one more vote, the Senate can and should vote to restore net neutrality and protect the free and open internet. And the House will be next. Call and email your members of Congress today and ask them to use a Resolution of Disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn the FCC's disturbing rulemaking.

More Support for Library Funding Urgently Needed

Our friends at ALA Washington's Office have sent the following request.  Please consider supporting library funding nationally! 

Advocacy Alert: Federal Library Funding

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What Happened

This week, the White House released its budget proposal for FY2019. As we anticipated, the budget proposed a significant cut to federal library funding. The administration's budget proposal eliminates the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which provides approximately $183 million in direct funding to libraries through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). The budget proposal also eliminates the $27 million Innovative Approaches to Literacy program administered by the Department of Education.

Why It Matters

These proposed cuts would impact many libraries across the country. While public and school libraries would see the largest effects, academic libraries with state-funded databases are also implicated. Since each state is required to match one-third of their federal LSTA grants, any cut to LSTA in the FY2019 budget is likely to lead to a cut on the state level. In addition, the cuts to IAL specifically target school library funding, which will make it harder for vulnerable schools to acquire the books, resources, and training needed to provide high-quality literacy programs for their students. 

Wait, What Happened to the FY 2018 Budget?

Last week, Congress passed and the president signed an FY2018 budget deal that will likely include at least level funding for federal library programs at FY 2017 levels. While this budget agreement is a positive step towards resolving the FY 2018 budget, Congress will still be working on the final spending bill for a few more weeks. The ALA Washington Office will continue to monitor progress on the bill.  

What You Can Do Now

Congress will have the final say on budget allocations for these programs in the FY2019 budget. Now is the time to let them know how important federal library funding is to their constituents. Use the ALA Action Center to send your Representatives an email  and ask for their public support of library funding throughout the FY2019 appropriations cycle.

This will be a many-step process and we will need your help at key times along the way. Stay tuned for updates.

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Save the IMLS: Ask Your Senators to Support the MLSA

Advocacy Alert from the ALA Washington Office: MLSA

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What happened:

At the end of 2017, the Museum and Library Services Act of 2017 was introduced by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Susan Collins (R-ME), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). The 2017 MLSA (S. 2271) reauthorizes the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), showing congressional support for the federal agency. IMLS administers funding through the Library Services Technology Act (LSTA), the only federal program that exclusively covers services and funding for libraries. LSTA provides more than $183 million for libraries through the Grants to States program, the National Leadership Grants for Libraries, the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, and Native American Library Services.

Why this is important:

A federally funded agency or program typically requires an "authorization", which is legislation passed by Congress providing its justification. The authorization must be periodically reauthorized. IMLS and LSTA were last authorized in 2010, and the authorization expired in 2016. Although an authorization is not a requirement for a program to receive federal funding, passage of a reauthorization sends a strong signal of support to the Appropriations Committees.

An agency lacking an authorization risks becoming a target for elimination by "budget hawks" in Congress. With the FY 2019 budget looming, it is important for IMLS to be reauthorized.

What you can do:

Contact your Senators and urge them to show support for libraries by becoming a cosponsor of S. 2271. Tell them how your library supports the constituents of their state, and tell them how LSTA funds enable your library to offer valuable services to your community

Need more information? Check out the most recent District Dispatch post or read up on the history of MLSA.

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ReadersFirst encourages all library staff and supporters to sign!

The FCC is Not the Last Word

ALA's Washington Office has released the following. ReadersFirst asks all to "Take Action for LIbraries." 

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What happened:
On December 14, a majority of FCC commissioners voted to gut net neutrality protections that limit the power of Internet Service Proviers (ISPs) to block, throttle, degrade or preference some online content and services over others. This 3-2 vote to roll back strong, enforceable net neutrality protections was made in the face of widespread protests, millions of public comments and overwhelming opposition from across the political spectrum.
 
What's next:
The FCC vote, though, is not the final word on this vital issue. The Congressional Review Act (CRA) gives Congress the ability and authority to nullify the FCC's actions. Congress can and should vote to restore net neutrality and protect the free and open internet.
 
What you can do:
Call and email your members of Congress today and ask them to use a Resolution of Disapproval under the CRA to repeal the recent FCC action and restore the 2015 Open Internet Order protections.

 Send an email 

Another Way to Support Net Neutrality

American Libraries has published an update on the fight for Net Neutrality.

Here are some excepts on how to get involved:

"Net neutrality is the principle that internet service providers (ISPs) must enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source and without favoring or blocking specific services or websites. The American Library Association (ALA) has been on the front lines of the net neutrality battle with the FCC, Congress, and the federal courts for more than a decade, working in coalition with other library and higher education organizations as well as broader coalitions of net neutrality advocates."

The existing rules are crucial for public institutions like libraries. Now is the time to make your voice heard. The FCC will be accepting comments on its proposed rollback of these rules until July 17.

To leave a public comment on the FCC site:

1. Go to the FCC’s page for filings related to the Restoring Internet Freedom proposal.
2. Click on Express Comment in the middle of the page.
3. In the Proceedings box, add 17-108 to associate your comment with the right proposal.
4. Enter your name and address, and your comment. Note: This information will be publicly posted on the FCC’s website once it’s submitted and cannot be edited.

Tell the FCC why net neutrality matters to you as a librarian or information professional. The best stories are local, compelling, personal, relatively recent, and have details.

• What digital content do you offer your community that might be relegated to “slow lanes” or might bring higher costs to the library if your vendors are forced to pay for prioritized delivery? (This may include ebooks, streaming media, interactive homework assistance, online language learning, and digital special collections.)
• Do you offer no-fee Wi-Fi to patrons?
• Do patrons use the internet at your library to access online government programs and services? Would deprioritized access hurt them?
• Do patrons use the internet at your library to upload and share their own digital media, develop and support small businesses, use video conferencing, or collaborate online for school or research projects? What would slower service do to these activities?

ReadersFirst encourages all librarians and groups affiliated with libraries to comment in support!