By Phone:

Call the Friends of the Miami-Dade Public Library: 305-375-4776

By Mail:

Send in a Friends membership card application (found in libraries) with a check or credit card authorization.

Mail to:

Friends of the Miami-Dade Public Library
101 West Flagler Street
Miami, FL 33130-1523

Online:

Begin by selecting your membership level below and making your payment. After finishing your payment, click “Return to the Friends of the Library” to complete your membership information.

 The ESEA funding we are asking for will make a difference in the school media services students receive at the school level.  It only takes a couple of minutes to make a difference.  Please sign the petition and ask others to.

 Make a difference for school libraries: sign the White House Petition on School Libraries

If you value your school library and the contributions it makes to your child’s education, you can make a difference.

Sign – and encourage family members and friends to sign – the White House petition that will ensure that every child in America has access to an effective school library program.

The deadline is Feb. 4 to get the required 25,000 signatures on the petition.

The petition states that “Every child in America deserves access to an effective school library program. We ask that the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provide dedicated funding to help support effective school library programs. Such action will ensure more students have access to the resources and tools that constitute a 21st century learning environment. Reductions in school library programs are creating an ‘access gap’ between schools in wealthier communities versus those where there are high levels of poverty. All students should have an equal opportunity to acquire the skills necessary to learn, to participate, and to compete in today’s world.”

The author of the petition, which may be signed by anyone 13 and older, is Carl Harvey II, president of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).

He talks about the petition in the video seen below.

Carl: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ze6U_aolbY&feature=player_embedded#

ALA President Molly Raphael said of the petition, “School libraries are everyone’s issue. Cuts in staffing or elimination of school library programs in a specific community affect all libraries in that community, whether it’s the public library now tasked with serving a school curriculum, or higher education librarians teaching remedial information literacy skills. In order for any of us to succeed, we must be willing to work on these issues together to support our broader library eco-system. Please get involved and help create awareness about the need to ensure that every student has access to an effective school library program.”

She urged everyone to spread the word and see that at least 10 friends or family members also sign. She also recommended working with local educational groups, including the local PTA or PTO, asking them to mount a signing campaign, as well as working with other community groups and asking them to get involved.

 Raphael discusses the petition in the following video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGka78wDXWY&feature=player_embedded#!

The petition has gained support from such prominent authors as Neil Gaiman, Brad Meltzer and John Green.

Gaiman’s Twitter feed urges his followers to sign the petition.

Meltzer’s Twitter feed includes the following tweet: “Petition needs 10K more signatures to ensure that every child has access to effective school library programs”

And Green tweeted “Remind the White House how much school libraries matter. Sign now!”

Mark R. Gould

Director, Public Information Office

American Library Association

mgould@ala.org

312-280-5042

This year FLA is providing an Advocacy Orientation webinar to be held on January 26th at 2 p.m. The webinar is intended to help folks doing library advocacy and those who will be attending Library Legislative Day in Tallahassee on Wednesday, February 1. The idea is that we want library advocates to have the opportunity to learn as much as possible about library issues and effective advocacy. We also want to prepare those folks who will be gathering at the State Capital to meet with legislators and tell them about Floridians needs for library service and library issues.

Whether you are attending Library Day or contacting legislators and state leaders from home, the webinar will inform you about:

- What’s going on in Tallahassee,
- Which legislators are in the leadership and serve on committees important to libraries,
- Our library message and how best to tell your library’s story, and
- For those attending Library Day, details on the schedule, activities, and tips like where to park.

Participating in this webinar will help prepare you to advocate effectively for Florida libraries. The Regular Legislative Session started on January 10 and we know that we will have to face major challenges before the session ends on March 9th.

To participate in the webinar, you’ll need a computer and you will be able to submit questions or comments by chat.

To register for the Advocacy Orientation Webinar, click here to go to the Tampa Bay Library Consortium’s website.
To register for Library Day in Tallahassee, click here to go to the FLA website.

Again, many thanks for your great advocacy and remember, please keep it positive!

Give Friends’ Memberships or Honor With Books dedications to family members and loved ones and show your support for literacy and libraries in Miami-Dade County.

We are happy to report that the Friends are working with Mayor Gimenez in an effort to encourage corporate sponsorships and other fundraising opportunities for our library.

For further information contact: friends@mdpls.org

“Please sign Senator Reed and Snowe’s “Dear Colleague” letter supporting library funding.” Provided below are Washington Office numbers

-      Senator Nelson – 202-224-5274

-      Senator Rubio – 202-224-3041

The letter calls for funding LSTA – the Library Services and Technology Act, at $213.5 million and Improving Literacy through School Libraries at $19.1 million.  These are the current year amounts.  Below is a message from ALA with more details.  The deadline for signing is Friday, June 10.

Any additional calls that you can make happen will be greatly appreciated!

Many thanks!

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Ask your senators to sign the library funding “Dear Colleague” Currently, 21 senators have signed the “Dear Colleague” letter supporting library funding.  Fortunately, the deadline for signing was extended to Friday, June 10.  Please continue to call your senators at (202) 224-3121 for one final push to get both of your senators to sign this letter.  After they agree to sign on, please tell them to contact Elyse Wasch in Senator Reed’s office if they are Democrats or Matthew Hussey in Senator Snowe’s office if they are Republicans.

Thank you to everyone who has already called their senators, but your help is still needed.

Below is a list of the senators who have already signed the letter.  If you do not see your senators’ names on this list, please call him or her immediately and encourage him or her to sign this letter. Tell them about some of the wonderful programs your public or school library provides in your state.  Explain to them that libraries took major cuts in FY 2011 – not only on the federal level but also on the state and local levels as well.  Without increased FY 2012 funding, libraries will be unable to continue to provide communities with essential services.

Reed – RI
Snowe – ME
Levin – MI
Rockefeller – WV
Leahy – VT
Udall, Tom – NM
Schumer – NY
Boxer – CA
Akaka – HI
Whitehouse – RI
Gillibrand – NY
Johnson, Tim – SD
Shaheen – NH
Sanders – VT
Lautenberg – NJ
Mikulski – MD
Kerry – MA
Cardin – MD
Kohl – WI
Menendez – NJ
Durbin – IL

Fast Facts

Population served: 2,121,798
Size of taxing district: 2,419 sq. miles
Number of branches: 48 + 4 bookmobiles
Volumes in collection: 3,878,771
Public computers: 1127 Workstations, 608 Laptops and 120 3M Express-Checkout Machines
Registered borrowers: 1,084,583
Items borrowed: 9,224,050 per year
Library visitors: 8,338,290 per year
Questions answered: 9,140,861 per year
Millage rate: .284

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