Fund Libraries: Tell Congress to Invest in Libraries

On March 28, the President released his proposed budget spending requests for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, which includes federal funding amounts for libraries. We need your help starting NOW until the final budget is signed in order to ensure that libraries are fully funded in the next fiscal year.

Today, ALA is officially launching our annual FY2023 #FundLibraries Campaign! This year, our campaign kickoff coincides with National Library Week (April 3-9)-a perfect opportunity to remind leaders that libraries need federal funding. We encourage you to bookmark the #FundLibraries webpage and browse the provided resources that can be shared amongst your library community. Included is the one-page introduction to federal library funding, state-by-state library fact sheets to share with your elected officials, and a visual guide explaining the overall federal appropriations process.

Because things are a bit different this year due to the ongoing pandemic, and the delayed FY2022 budget outcome, the Dear Appropriator letters have begun circulating this week in both the House and Senate, a few weeks later than in previous years. These letters are circulated to all Members of Congress by library champions in the House and Senate to rally colleagues in support of library funding before the appropriations budget is negotiated. The FY2023 budget will include the designated amounts that the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) will be able to grant to libraries through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), along with the Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) grant program through the U.S. Department of Education, which supports school libraries and other literacy-related organizations. For FY2023, we are asking congressional appropriators to include funding of at least $206 million for LSTA and $50 million for IAL. 

Will you contact your members of Congress and ask them to sign onto the Dear Appropriator letters?

Take Action Now!

We also encourage you to start the momentum on social media and urge your elected officials to support strong funding for libraries. On ALA's #FundLibraries Campaign page, we have included downloadable graphics for you to use with your posts to better increase their overall visibility. Here is a sample tweet that you can customize and share:

. @[MYREP/SENATORS] Libraries are dedicated to providing for our communities, from internet access to early literacy skills. I urge you to #FundLibraries in FY23 and sign on to support increases in federal support for libraries, because strong libraries make strong communities. 

Thank you so much for your continued advocacy, and we look forward to working with you this year to ensure that libraries are fully funded in FY2023!

-ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Team