Library Development and Legislation Committee

OLA's Library Development and Legislation Committee (LDLC) is a standing committee that exists to:

• Establish plans for improvement of libraries in Oregon through study and recommendation of plans for the use of state and federal funds, as well as through exploration of other sources of funding (e.g., foundation grants)
• Establish priorities for legislative action which may affect all types of libraries in Oregon

Use the following links to navigate this page:

Current Legislative Issue Briefs, Testimonies, and Statements

• Issue Brief: Support Ready to Read funding as included in proposed State Library budget (HB 5017) (Testimony, including from many individual OLA members)
• Issue Brief: Support on-time adoption of course materials for higher-education students (HB 2919) (Testimony, including from OLA Academic Division-ACRL Oregon)
• Issue Brief (*original* brief when known as SB 552; no revision specific to SB 226 written, nor deemed currently needed): Support information literacy and library media program standards (SB 226 [-4 Amendment])
• Written Testimony: Support County Law Library funding as included in proposed Judicial Department budget (HB 5012) (Testimony, including from OLA and LDLC Chair Sue Ludington)
• Letter to Governor Brown from OLA President Kate Lasky, in support of economic recovery funding (American Rescue Plan Act [ARPA]) allocated for special districts, including special library districts
• Op-Ed published in Eugene Register-Guard (4/13/2021), "Libraries Are a Community's Cornerstone" written by OLA President Kate Lasky and Springfield Public Library and Museum Director Emily David in support of the Building America's Libraries Act (BALA)

OLA Library Legislative Week 2021: March 1 - March 5, 2021

• Set up a virtual meeting appointment with your legislator!
• What happens during these meetings? First time participants may want to watch this short video to see an example.
• Communicate effectively with elected officials using our new "Template for Advocacy Communication with Public Officials - 2021" document. Available now to download and customize!
• Watch our 30-minute "Legislative Advocacy Training Webinar: "Prepare to Talk to Your Legislator!" to get the latest updates on the three bills supported by OLA, along with tips for successfully conveying your message to legislators.

Past Legislative Issues & Briefs

• Issue Brief: Support Ready to Read funding as included in proposed State Library budget (SB 5518)
• Issue Brief: Support updating statutory definition of "Public Library" (HB 2243)
• Issue Brief: Support textbook affordability and Open Educational Resources for students (HB 2213 and HB 2214)

2016-2017 Issues

• Net Neutrality
• ESSA and School Libraries
• Issue Brief: School Libraries and the ESSA
• OLA/OASL Response to Oregon's ESSA Plan
• June 2014 Press Release
• Oregon school library standards
• HB2586 Issue Brief (historic 2009 legislation)
• Ready to Read 2017
• Issue Brief: Basic Ready to Read 2017 (HB 5018)
• Issue Brief: Expanding Ready to Read 2017 (SB 75)

2015 Issues

• Federal Budget for LSTA
• Legislative Day 2015 Handout
• Ready to Read 2015
• Accelerated Learning and School Libraries - SB 84
• Letter to Committee - February 26, 2015
• Expansion of Ready to Read and Name Change - HB 2479
• State Budget - SB 5519
• Summer Reading Programs in Schools - HB 2650
• State Library Reorganization Project

Ongoing Issues

• Statewide Access to Legal Information
• Open Access to Federally Funded Research
• Public/Private Management of Libraries

Other Resources

Check out OLA's Engage site, courtesy of ALA, for current information on legislation and advocacy issues.

OLA's Legislative Agenda is updated annually. We use this to guide our actions.

Contacting Congress? Here are the staff contacts for each office (coming soon!). These are the people that work with libraries and that know libraries.

2020-2021 Committee Members

Chair:

• Sue Ludington, Lane County Law Library (2022)

Voting Members:

• Jeremy Skinner, Curry Public Library (2021)
• Kathy Street, Oregon Trail Library District (2022)
• Kim Olson-Charles, University of Western States (2022)
• Margaret Alexander, University of Oregon (2022)
• Star Khan, Driftwood Public Library (2022)
• Jean Gritter, Greater Albany Public Schools (2023)
• Jimmy Pearson, Astoria Public Library (2023)
• Kristin Williams, Athena Public Library (2023)

Ex Officio Members:

• OLA President: Kate Lasky, Josephine Community Library District
• OLA Vice-President/President Elect: Arlene Weible, State Library of Oregon
• OLA Past President: Elaine Hirsch, Lewis and Clark College
• OLA Lobbyists: Amanda Dalton and Nicole Mann
• State Librarian: Jennifer Patterson
• State Law Librarian: Catherine Bowie
• OASL representative: Kate Weber, Grants Pass School District
• ACRL representative: Michele Burke, Chemeketa Community College
• IFC representatives: Ellie Avis, Josephine Community Library District and Kirsten Brodbeck-Kenney, Driftwood Public Library
• State Library of Oregon, Library Support representatives: Buzzy Nielson and Darci Hanning

Emeritus Members:

• Diedre Conkling, Lincoln County Library District patron
• Sara Charlton, Tillamook County Library patron
• Esther Moberg, Seaside Public Library
• Stephanie Lind, Washington County Cooperative Library Services
• Susan Westin, State Library of Oregon

Meeting Dates 2020 - 2021

All virtual (Zoom), 3:00 - 5:00 pm (unless noted differently) 

• Wednesday, September 30, 2:00 - 4:00pm
• Tuesday, October 20
• Tuesday, November 17
• Tuesday, January 19
• Tuesday, March 16
• Tuesday, May 18
• Tuesday, July 20