“The message librarians brought to the hill was clear: save the Institute of Museum and Library Services, fully fund libraries, and reauthorize the Museum and Library Services Technology Act, the law that makes all library funding possible at the federal level.”

Andrew AlbaneseNational Library Legislative Day attracts over 500 librarians and library advocates to the nation’s capital each spring. The occasion is an opportunity not only to highlight an overlooked national treasure but also to get the attention of Congress, which controls millions in federal spending that flows to libraries of all kinds.

“The day is really quite remarkable,” reports Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly senior writer. “It is part master class on the art of talking to politicians, part primer on the issues, and part pep rally. Over the course of the two days, library delegates meet with their representatives in the House and Senate, where they offer their thanks for the things they’ve gotten, and try to sway them over the issues on the table.”

“The message librarians brought to the hill was clear: save the Institute of Museum and Library Services, fully fund libraries, and reauthorize the Museum and Library Services Technology Act, the law that makes all library funding possible at the federal level,” he tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally.

Every Friday, CCC’s “Beyond the Book” speaks with the editors and reporters of “Publishers Weekly” for an early look at the news that publishers, editors, authors, agents and librarians will be talking about when they return to work on Monday.

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