Call Your Senator Now!

If media specialists want the federal government to fund school libraries, they'd better tell their senators—fast. That's the message from the American Library Association's Washington, D.C., office, which is lobbying hard to pass a school-library funding bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI).

Reed's bill would provide the first dedicated funding for school libraries in two decades. Currently, money for media centers is in a block grant, which is often used to fund other items. Reed's bill calls for $500 million to go solely to school libraries for new books and technology, training for librarians, and longer hours. The bill was defeated by a 10–10 vote in committee, but Reed will soon bring it to the full Senate as an amendment to the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.