President’s Column

I have just returned from the American Library Association’s 2014 National Library Legislative Day in Washington, D.C, and I give a big thanks to Martha Hutzel of Central Rappahannock Regional Library who bravely took up the mantle this year as Virginia’s Federal Legislative Coordinator. I also very much appreciate the delegation of Virginia librarians who assisted Martha in her lobbying efforts, including delegates Christie Hoerneman, Mutahara Mobashar, Margaret Howard, Jacqueline Sullivan, James Sanderson, Katie Hoskins, Alan Sonner, Suzanna Panter, Lisa Varga, Laura Horne-Popp, and Tina McPherson. The ALA legislative agenda not only consisted of budget appropriations such as Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) and the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), but also involved legislation about early learning, E-Rate discounts, school libraries, cyber privacy and surveillance, network neutrality, workforce investment, and open access to research and information.