Resolutions | Find Your Legislators | About the Committee | bylaws

Take Action Now!

Get to know you state senators and representatives now so you will be a familiar voice when you need to contact them on library issues.

Contact your Legislators about LD 793 - An Act To Provide Essential Library Resources to All Maine Communities

Public Hearing
Tuesday, May 15, 1:00pm
State House, Room 228

Full text of LD793 (sponsored by Senate President Beth Edmonds):

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine to provide Maine citizens with equitable access to resources through community libraries that will satisfy their interests and information needs:

1. Public Libraries Collection Development:  Improve local library collections to be shared statewide ($1.3 million).
   • To be eligible for funding, public libraries must meet the Maine Library Association’s criteria for the definition of a public library and must use the funding for materials that can be circulated and available for interlibrary loan.  Communities cannot offset these revenues by reducing the local library’s budget.
2. Delivery System:  Support community-to-community van delivery of library books and other research materials among libraries agreeing to share resources ($300,000).
• Legislation will support the interlibrary loan van delivery system.
3. Quality Electronic Publications:  Expand information access through statewide licensing of online journals, research data and electronic books which are not available free on the World Wide Web ($600,000).
   • Funding will expand electronic resources to cover needed subject areas in addition to providing critical resources for research and development
4. Digital Preservation: Digitally preserve unique, historically significant state and local documents, images, and media for statewide access ($100,000).
• Funding will digitize many of the state’s unique and valuable documents, maps, photographs, and rare books.  Digitization will provide online access to all and will ensure permanency.
5. Regional Reference Collections: Support Area Reference and Resource Centers that provide regional reference and lending ($400,000).
• Bangor Public library will provide a statewide last copy center for books and periodical.  Portland Public Library will continue to develop an extensive collection development program that will benefit all libraries in the southern part of the state as well as in the rest of Maine.
6. Minerva Consortium: Improve the Ability of this 62 multi-type library consortium to provide services ($125,008 – $ 132,177).
• Legislation will provide one full-time position for ongoing training for member library staff.  The second full-time position will manage and provide oversight of database quality, cataloging standards, and staff training in these areas.

Other Resolutions:

• Health Care Access
• Internet Access & Filters
• Tax Reform Initiative

Your Legislators:

• Maine House of Representatives -- Find Your Representative
• Maine Senate -- Find Your Senator
• Find your Federal representatives

Legislative News & Advocacy Committee

The Legislative Committee is a standing committee of MLA formed to increase understanding and awareness of the legislative process and legislation favorable to libraries among librarians and other interested parties, and to bring maximum constituent effort to bear upon the state legislature, state administration, and appropriate regulatory agencies in support of library programs and the ideals of the library profession.