Reed Seeks $100 Million For School Libraries in 2003

Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) has sent a letter to the appropriations subcommittee asking for an increase in school library funding beyond $100 million for fiscal year 2003. Reed sponsored the "Literacy Through School Libraries" legislation, which eventually led to the authorization of $12.5 million in federal funds for school libraries in FY 2002. The $100 million turns the program into a grant that would apply to all states.

"To increase reading scores, we must provide students with the essential building blocks for reading success—books," states the letter, which was signed by 16 senators, including Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Olympia Snowe (R-ME).

In a Senate hearing on April 10, Reed said, "Today's library is not simply a place where books are read and borrowed. It is a place where a love of reading is born and renewed again and again." The appropriations committee is expected to vote on a bill outlining how much will be appropriated for school libraries before the fiscal year ends on September 20.