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Day in the District 2009
The 2009 Day in the District meetings with State Legislators will be held on January 30 and February 6.
The focus of "Day in the District" is on fostering dialogue between local libraries and the legislators who represent the communities served by those libraries. To assist with these meetings, the CLA Legislative Committee has provided a list of talking points, and CLA Lobbyists, Mike Dillon and Christina DiCaro, have prepared "Tips for lobbying your Legislator during difficult budget years." Both documents are available on the Day in the District webpage.
California libraries experienced deep budget cuts to PLF and TBR funding in FY 07-08 and FY 08-09 that will have long-term effects. Please come prepared to talk about your library, how these cuts affect your library, and how you are making a difference in the lives of the Legislator's constituents.
Our network of legislative contacts is hard at work setting up appointments. To register for an appointment with your legislator, go to the Library Legislative Day in the District Online Database at: http://www.legiday.net.
At the login screen enter:
Account Name: member
Password: member
After you hit enter you will be taken to a new screen. Click on "legiday" to enter the database. This will take you to the Home Page for the Day in the District 2009.
Click on "Legislators". This will take you to a listing of all legislators in the database. Legislators are listed in district order by default. By clicking the headers of the columns you can sort the list by individual field. Also note there are other navigation tools in the header of list of legislators, e.g. alphabetical shortcuts and links to individual legislative houses.
For each legislator, click on either "View" or "Sign Up" to the left of the legislator's name to bring up a screen with the legislator's appointment information. You will then be prompted to enter your name and contact information.
If you are a member of CLA, CSLA, or CALTAC the database will automatically retrieve the contact information on record for you. If the database brings up a list of names and you are not on that list you may register your name and email address by following the instructions at the top of the screen.
IMPORTANT #1:Always click the on-screen buttons to post information. Simply hitting the Return or Enter key on your keyboard may not work.
IMPORTANT #2: It can take some time for the Legislative Contact to set up the appointment. If the database does not yet list an appointment date and time with your Legislator, please keep checking. Please do not attempt to make an appointment yourself - your legislative contact is already in touch with the Legislator's office and we don't want to cause confusion or appear unprofessional.
IMPORTANT #3: Address changes for appointments will appear in the notes field. Please check this a day or two before your scheduled appointment, as these may change to accommodate the legislator's schedule.
IMPORTANT #4: Always click the | Log Out | link when you are finished. If you leave the screen idle for more than 5 minutes you will be automatically logged out. The database can accommodate only 100 simultaneous users.
Some other things to keep in mind:
- The emphasis of Day in the District is primarily on California State Assembly and Senate representatives rather than federal elected officials.
- You may wish to bring brief handout materials, such as a brochure or newsletter, that highlight the services provided by your library and can be left behind for future reference by the legislator or staff.
- Trustees, Commissioners, Board members, Friends, parents, students or other supporters are encouraged to attend. Please ensure that the names and affiliations of all representatives of your library are registered on the appointment website so that the contact person can let the legislator know who will be attending the meeting.
- Many legislators are busy working in Sacramento on budget preparation. Legislative contacts may have made appointments with Legislative Aides if the Legislator is not available. These Aides are often very knowledgeable about library issues and are usually interested in learning about more. Many legislators rely on their staff for input and advice, and these meetings can be equally productive.
Day in the District and Legislative Day meetings are an opportunity to highlight the services that are important to residents in your particular district. Many legislators are not aware of the broad range of services we provide and the number of lives we touch each and every day. Participation in this year's meetings is extremely critical to keep our State funding intact as negotiations continue on the budget. As the economic downturn creates additional use of libraries and stresses our resources, it is more important than ever to help our Legislators understand about how this impacts their communities and local residents.
I hope you will be able to participate in this year's Day in the District and Legislative Day meetings. You have a powerful story to tell, and this is your chance to tell it!
Diane Smikahl
2009 CLA Day in the District Coordinator
Posted on January 13, 2009 1:21 PM | Permalink