ALAWON v11n0013 (March 1, 2002) URL = http://www.infomotions.com/serials/alawon/alawon-v11n0013.txt ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline Volume 11, Number 13 March 1, 2002 [1] SENATE PASSES RESOLUTION ON READING [2] IMLS AND NCLIS TESTIFY BEFORE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE On February 28, the Senate passed S. Res. 211, to designate March 2, 2002 as "Read Across America Day." The text of the resolution follows: S. Res. 211 Whereas reading is a basic requirement for quality education and professional success, and a source of pleasure throughout life; Whereas Americans must be able to read if the Nation is to remain competitive in the global economy; Whereas Congress, through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110) and the new Reading First, Early Reading First, and Improving Literacy Through School Libraries programs, has placed great emphasis on reading intervention and additional resources for reading assistance; and Whereas more than 40 national associations concerned about reading and education have joined with the National Education Association to use March 2, the anniversary of the birth of Theodor Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss, to celebrate reading: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate-- (1) designates March 2, 2002, as ``Read Across America Day''; (2) honors Theodor Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss, for his success in encouraging children to discover the joy of reading; (3) encourages parents to read with their children for at least 30 minutes on Read Across America Day in honor of Dr. Seuss and in a celebration of reading; and (4) requests that the President issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. IMLS AND NCLIS TESTIFY BEFORE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE On Thursday, February 28, Dr. Robert Martin, Director of the Institute for Museum and Library Services testified before the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee on the FY2003 Administration's budget request. Martin lauded the increased funding request of $181,720,000 for library programs and $29,022,000 for museums and highlighted the $10 million initiative announced by Mrs. Laura Bush to stimulate and support education for new librarians. He said statistics show there will soon be a large drop in practicing librarians because of retirement. He also mentioned the need for more library professionals to teach in graduate library programs. Martin said IMLS was refocusing the operation support for museums. He said 85 percent of museums are meeting standards, but IMLS can only fund 19 percent of applications for grants. In answer to questions from Rep. Regula about technology affecting the role of museum and library professions, Martin answered that technology dramatically enhances the reach of museums and libraries, acting as a billboard. He said technology has not replaced the traditional services, that all have increased, showing the complementarities of both. Regula cited a community library in his district that has set up a reading room for seniors who are mentoring children from the elementary school next door and said he would like to see more of those kinds of programs. The National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) next testified on the FY2003 budget. Commission Chairperson, Martha Gould was introduced by Representative James Gibbons, (R-NEV), who claimed her as a long-standing friend and his librarian. Ms. Gould said in her testimony that the stated rationale for zeroing out the NCLIS account was totally unsubstantiated. She thanked Chairman Regula for funding the Literacy Through School Libraries program and cited the NCLIS hearing on school libraries held in Cincinnati, Ohio last spring as convincing NCLIS to support the legislation. Also testifying was Commissioner Jack Hightower who discussed the role of libraries in the community and the Commission's project on the importance of libraries as disseminators of community information in times of crisis. ****** ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. To subscribe to ALAWON, send the message: subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname] to listproc@ala.org or go to http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. To unsubscribe to ALAWON, send the message: unsubscribe ala-wo to listproc@ala.org. ALAWON archives at http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. ALA Washington Office, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Suite 403, Washington, D.C. 20004-1701; phone: 202.628.8410 or 800.941.8478 toll-free; fax: 202.628.8419; e-mail: alawash@alawash.org; Web site: http://www.ala.org/washoff. Executive Director: Emily Sheketoff. Office of Government Relations: Lynne Bradley, Director; Camille Bowman, Mary Costabile, Don Essex, and Miriam Nisbet. Office for Information Technology Policy: Rick Weingarten, Director; Jennifer Hendrix, Carrie Russell, Claudette Tennant. ALAWON Editor: Bernadette Murphy.