How to use this Page

On Saturday 17th October, 16,000 people marched to protest against the new junior doctor contracts in London for the second time. The feeling at the protest was one of overwhelming solidarity, as people marched with placards of varying degrees of humour. Purposely misspelled placards reading “junior doctors make mistaks” were a popular choice, while many groups gathered under large banners identifying their hospital, offering 30% off.

The post Junior doctor contracts: should they be challenged? appeared first on OUPblog.

With the recent publication of the 2015-2016 editions of the Blackstone’s Statutes series, we asked some of the authors to select a piece of legislation from the series that has the most impact on their subject area.

The post Blackstone’s Statutes: top legislation appeared first on OUPblog.

Over the next several weeks, Congress is working on a new federal education bill. Now is the time to activate your library friends and supporters and get them to speak up for school libraries! The last education bill, No Child Left Behind, did not specifically include school libraries, and as a result students suffered because schools closed libraries, cut library budgets, or eliminated staff positions. Right now we have a window of opportunity to right that wrong and help America’s youth. Congress needs to hear from as many people as possible about the importance of school libraries in supporting youth success. Provided below are two ready-to-use messages you can share out with your library supporters. Please do so today!

SAMPLE EMAIL, NEWSLETTER ITEM OR FACEBOOK POST

Studies show that strong school libraries drive student achievement. They help young people succeed in school and prepare for college, careers and life. Congress is currently working on a new education bill that would provide federal funding for the nation’s schools. They need to hear from you that it’s vital to include school libraries in this new bill.  Your calls, emails and Tweets will be the evidence Congress needs to take action for America’s youth and ensure school libraries adequately funded in the ESEA reauthorization.

Here’s how you can ensure that happens:

1. Go here: http://cqrcengage.com/ala/home
2. In the blue bar in the upper half of the page, choose how you want to contact your member of Congress: letter, Tweet, or phone call
3. Click on the option(s) you want, provide the required contact info, & submit.  The letter and Tweet are pre-written for you, so it’s super easy! (but you do have the option to customize them if you want)
4. Forward this message to library advocates in your community & encourage them to do take action, too
5. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done!

For more information, read this blog post from ALA. Thank you for speaking up for youth and libraries!

SAMPLE TWEET

kids need #SchoolLibraries! ow.ly/Sf4lT -contact Congress 2 ask 4 support 4 school libs via this easy site ow.ly/S0kdw

Thank you,

Beth Yoke

Last week we called on library staff and advocates to contact Congress to support school libraries, and many of you responded (yay!)!  So far, there have been 2,971 emails, 446 Tweets and 39 phone calls.  That’s great, but with over 98,000 school libraries and 17,000 public libraries in the U.S. we can do better!  ALA staff are meeting with key Congressional staff later this week to ask for support for school libraries.  Right now we need one final push from library staff and advocates so that when ALA meets with Congressional staff your grassroots support will be the evidence Congress needs to take action for school libraries and ensure they’re adequately funded in the ESEA reauthorization.

Here’s how you can make sure that happens:

1. Go here: http://cqrcengage.com/ala/home
2. In the blue bar in the upper half of the page, choose how you want to contact your members of Congress: letter, Tweet, or phone call
3. Click on the option(s) you want, provide the required contact info, & submit.  The letter and Tweet are pre-written for you, so it’s super easy! (but you do have the option to customize them if you want)
4. Forward this message to library advocates in your community & encourage them to do take action, too
5. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done!

For more information, read this blog post from ALA.

Thank you,

Beth Yoke

The Senate is working on a new education bill (aka ESEA reauthorization) right now, and it’s vital that they include school libraries!  You can help ensure that happens:

1. Go to this web page
2. In the blue bar in the upper half of the page, choose how you want to contact your members of Congress: letter, Tweet, or phone call
3. Click on the option(s) you want, provide the required contact info, & submit.  The letter and Tweet are pre-written for you, so it’s super easy! (but you do have the option to customize them if you want)
4. Forward this message to library advocates in your community & encourage them to do take action, too
5. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done!

For more information, read this blog post from ALA.  Thank you for supporting libraries!

-Beth Yoke

Now that District Days are in full swing and you have hopefully reached out to your representative, we wanted to provide some resources for you that will hopefully help you in your planning! And if you haven’t reached out yet, there’s still time. Hopefully these resources will provide some inspiration.

These handouts from YALSA are a great starting point when talk to your representative about libraries and teen services for libraries are not only important but necessary.

What public libraries do for teens..

Why teens need libraries…

YALSA’s Legislative Advocacy Guide

LSTA fact sheets from ALA

Then take a look at YALSA’s wiki page on advocating for more links and resources.

Don’t forget to use one of your best resources that you have, your teens! If you have a Teen Advisory Board then talk to them and see if they have ideas.  

And just remember, you don’t have to do something big for District Days. The most important thing is that you reach out to your representative and #act4teens!

Staci Terrell is the Children's Services Manager at Anderson Public Library in Anderson, Indiana and is the current chair of the YALSA Legislation Committee.

It’s time for District Days once again, which are when congressional representatives return home to their districts on recess. The recess this year is from August 1-September 6. This is the time representatives will have office hours at their local offices, attend town hall meetings, and meet with constituents to speak with and listen to them.

As an advocate for libraries and teens, this is an opportunity to show your representatives why libraries are a valuable asset to their constituents and districts. District Days provide you the ability to let your voice as a librarian or library worker be heard before the representatives head back to Washington, D.C.

Need help getting started? Check out the great resources on the District Days wiki and look for posts on the YALSAblog throughout August for information on how to participate by the Legislation Committee. One simple way is to make sure you use this  #act4teens hashtag when you promote your District Days activities.

Need to find out who your congressional representative is for your district? Or their local district offices? There's a website and an app for that!

Some things to keep in mind, as you start to prepare for District Days.

1. Keep it simple. You don't have to create an event just for your congressional representative to attend. Invite them to a teen program, such as a summer learning wrap up party or Back to School night.
2. Include the event details. Date, time, location, whether or not press will be invited, a description of the event, plus estimated attendance and who will be attending the event.
3. Provide information about your library. Key statistics, demographics, etc. but keep it concise.
4. Make sure to publicize the event! Send information to local news outlets along with using social media.
5. Follow up after the invitation is sent. Call them a week after it's sent, if you haven't heard back from them.
6. If they can't make it, then try going to them. Contact their local office to schedule an appointment, while they are at home in their district.
7. Send a thank you note. Once the event is over, don't forget to thank your representative for taking the time to visit your library!

For additional advocacy resources, visit www.ala.org/yalsa/advocacy

Staci Terrell is the Children's Services Manager at Anderson Public Library in Anderson, Indiana and is the current chair of the YALSA Legislation Committee.

You work hard all summer to provide teens with a variety of activities to help them learn and grow.  But chances are, your elected officials do not know about the great work you do and what it means to teens and to the community.  So, it's up to you to show them!  Elected officials need to know about the vital role libraries play in helping teens succeed in school and prepare for college, careers and life.  Without this knowledge, they will not be able to make informed decisions regarding key pieces of legislation, such as the Elementary & Secondary Education Act (ESEA) or the Library Services & Technology Act (LSTA).  District Days--the time when members of Congress are back in their home states--are the perfect chance for you to show off all the great things you do for and with teens through your library, by inviting your Congressperson to come and visit any time between Aug. 1 and Sept. 6, 2015.  You could also bring your teen patrons to them at their local office.  YALSA's wiki page has everything you need to extend your invitation, plan for a visit, and be a great host!  Your teens are relying on you to speak up for them, so be sure to seize this opportunity.  Then, tell us how it goes by sending photos and information using the #act4teens hashtag.

Has it crossed your radar yet that there's been a big shift in how laws are getting made?  Last year state legislatures around the country passed 45,564 bills, compared with just 352 passed in Congress.  That works out to an average of 911 bills per state.  This change in the way laws are getting made means that we need to change the way we advocate for teens and libraries.  Spring is the time of year when many state legislatures are in session.  What can you (or your teen patrons) do to call their attention to the importance of libraries?  YALSA has the answer!  We have everything you need to reach out to your state legislators and ask them if they will sponsor a resolution in support of libraries.  A resolution is not legislation or a bill--just a feel good message about libraries.  Both Congress and state legislatures pass these types of warm fuzzies all of the time in an effort to make nice with the voters.  YALSA has a few sample documents compiled into one file that you can adapt and use, including a sample resolution, emails and a press release.  Access the MS Word file today for an easy way to raise awareness about libraries with the elected officials in your state!
If you want to learn more about what's going on at your state legislature, check out The 50 State Project, and find out what's happening with library related-legislation and/or get in touch with your state legislators by visiting http://cqrcengage.com/ala/chapters. And don't forget that National Library Legislative Day is May 5th!  If you can't make it to Washington DC, ALA has several ways that you can participate virtually.  Lastly, there are a bunch of advocacy resources on the YALSA web site at ala.org/yalsa/advocacy that you can use year round to advocate for teens and libraries.

-Beth Yoke

Please email or phone your members of Congress and ask them to sign the "Dear Appropriator letter supporting library funding via these two programs: LSTA (Library Services Technology Act) and IAL (Innovative Approaches to Literacy)."  Then, ask all other library supporters you know to do the same by no later than March 20^th.  Contact information for Congress members is here: http://cqrcengage.com/ala/home (just put in your zip code in the box on the lower right side).

To see whether your Members of Congress signed these letters last year, view the FY 2015 Funding Letter Signees document (pdf). If so, please be sure to thank and remind them of that when you email or call!  More information can be found on ALA's blog, District Dispatch.  For more information about LSTA, check out this document LSTA Background and Ask (pdf).  For more information on IAL, view School Libraries Brief (pdf)

Thank you for taking this step to ensure that our nation's teens continue to have access to library staff and services that will help them succeed in school and prepare for college and careers!

-Beth Yoke

Happy Monday, amazing YALSA members!

Can you believe it's already near the end of February?

For those who've made New Year's resolutions to be more involved in the profession, it's not too late!

The deadline to apply to join a YALSA strategic committee, jury, or taskforce is this Sunday, March 1st!

You can see the full list of committees and juries here.

Strategic committees are a great way to get involved with YALSA, as they are virtual committees. Or, if you are a new member and looking to try committee work for the first time, the strategic committees are a great way to learn about YALSA, connect with teen service professionals from around the country, and help you develop your virtual work skills and teen expertise. So, if travel and conference attendance aren't an option for you this year, please take a minute to fill out the volunteer form here and send it in before March 1st!

My Appointments Taskforce and I will begin the process to fill the over 200 open positions that help YALSA accomplish the work of the strategic plan and the work that moves the association and members forward immediately after March 1st, so please be sure to get your application in before then.

I strongly encourage all YALSA members to apply - it is an easy and great way to get more involved in this amazing association, especially if you are interested in joining a YALSA selection or award committee in the future.

Please feel free to contact me at candice.yalsa (at) gmail.com if you have any questions!

Giving Tuesday helps non-profits around the globe by bringing awareness to the importance of giving back and donating to a cause. This year will be YALSA’s third year in participating, and the Financial Advancement Committee’s (FAC) goal is to raise at least $4000 to send four...yes FOUR...YALSA members to National Library Legislative Day in Spring 2015. Financial Advancement chair Jack Martin (JM) and veteran member Melissa McBride (MM) interviewed each other below about the importance of giving to YALSA and having a strong presence at Library Legislative Day.  You can help us NOW by signing on to a Thunderclap that will be released on Giving Tuesday as a means of spreading the word about our fundraising goal.

JM: Melissa, this is FAC’s third year participating in Giving Tuesday, right? What the response been like in the past?

MM: Yes, although this is only my second year participating. The response last year was wonderful, as a committee member it was so great seeing all the support for both the Thunderclap and the donations that came in on Giving Tuesday. We far exceeded our expectations and were able to send additional members to Legislative Day.

JM: I love hearing about this great response. I think our members truly understand the importance of Library Legislative Day, and they know how much of an impact it makes to have YALSA members there to rep our awesome association!

MM: As a Past President of YALSA, what does it mean for you to see such support from the members of YALSA?

JM: For me, it’s all about advocacy. I think it’s easy for us to see our members being activists by physically representing YALSA at Library Legislative Day. What I think is harder to sometimes see but even more important are those activists who are giving to YALSA--via Giving Tuesday or any other time. In fact, I see them as some of YALSA’s most important activists because they’re helping association fulfill its mission to fight for teen services in libraries all across the country. I love thinking about all of that youth-focused goodwill, and as a Past President it motivates me to do the same both locally and nationally. Plus, I think it’s important that because of all of these activists who give to us, YALSA is able to award over $150,000.00 of scholarships and awards to members. That’s big stuff!

Speaking of advocacy, we know that YALSA members often place Advocacy and Activism at the top of their list when it comes to getting support from YALSA. Can you elaborate how Giving Tuesday supports this goal in YALSA’s Strategic Plan?

MM: Giving Tuesday enables librarians and library workers to have a voice. Sending librarians and library workers to Legislative Day, who care about the same issues as other YA librarians is powerful. It sends a strong message not only to our legislators, but also to every library worker who struggles to get what they need for their patrons. There are some days when it is just nice to know that YALSA is there supporting library staff and helping us to have a voice. The resources YALSA provides are a huge help in advocating for what we do.

JM: I know a lot of YALSA members might have questions about how much they should give for Giving Tuesday. What have people given in the past?

MM: Anything! If every YALSA member just gave $1 we would far exceed our goal of $4000 (which would send 4 members to Library Legislative Day)! It’s important for people to understand that even the smallest amount is a huge help. If you are in a position to be able to donate more, then great! Give up your Starbucks for the day and help get our voices heard! I actually just finished teaching my 2nd graders about Sarah Hale and her letter writing campaign (that spanned 38 years) just to get Thanksgiving turned into a national holiday. She knew that every letter counted, just as every penny donated counts.

JM: Wow. I hadn’t thought about it in that way. Let me reiterate: if every member only gave $1, we’d reach our goal! Maybe even surpass it! But also, I know many members may be wondering how they can give. YALSA has made it really easy to give, right?

MM: YALSA has made it so easy this year!  Not only can you log onto the ala.org and donate the traditional way, but now you can text to donate! All you have to do is text ALA TEENALA to this number: 41518 to make a $10 donation to YALSA. It couldn’t be easier!
JM: This has been a great conversation, Melissa! I hope everyone out there enjoyed learning about this super important initiative, and we’ll hopefully see everyone out there on social media to support YALSA’s Giving Tuesday campaign on Tuesday, December 2, 2014.

Happy Fall!

I just wanted to thank our members for the 537 volunteer committee applications that were submitted and to give everyone an update on the award and selection committee appointments process!

The appointments task force was finalized in October and award and selection committee chairs were selected. The appointments task force and I are still working on filling all of the award and selection committee member vacancies, but rosters should be finalized soon.

Appointing the local arrangements committee for Midwinter 2015 is the next priority.

ALA Appointments: There has been one ALA Appointment call to review the general ALA appointment process. The slate for the nominating committee has not been officially presented, but does include one YALSA member.

ALA President Elect Sari Feldman has put out a call for volunteers for the ALA committees listed below. Please let me know if you are interested in being recommended for any of them. The ALA application form closes this Friday, November 7, 2014.

• Accreditation
• ALA/Beta Phi Mu Distinguished Lecture Committee
• ALA-Children’s Book Council Joint Committee
• American Libraries Advisory
• Appointments
• Awards
• Budget Analysis & Review Committee
• Chapter Relations
• Committee on Archives, Libraries and Museums (CALM) – Joint Committee of the ALA, SAA, and AAM
• Committee on Committees
• Committee on Diversity
• Committee on Education
• Committee on Legislation
• Committee on Library Advocacy
• Committee on Organization
• Committee on Professional Ethics
• Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship
• Conference
• Constitution & Bylaws
• Council Orientation Committee
• Election
• Human Resource Development & Recruitment Advisory (Office for)
• Information Technology Policy Advisory (Office for)
• Intellectual Freedom Committee
• International Relations Committee
• Literacy
• Literacy & Outreach Services Advisory (Office for)
• Membership
• Membership Meetings
• Nominating
• Policy Monitoring Committee
• Public Awareness Committee
• Public & Cultural Programs Advisory
• Publishing Committee
• Research & Statistics
• Resolutions Committee
• Rural, Native & Tribal Libraries of All Kinds
• Scholarship & Study Grants
• Training, Orientation & Leadership Development
• Website Advisory

It’s been a pleasure and privilege to go through all of the your applications. Thank you so much for your dedication to YALSA and to teen library services!

Freedom of expression is a central tenet of almost every modern society. This freedom however often comes into conflict with other rights, and can be misused and exploited. New media – especially on the internet – and new forms of media intrusion bring added complexity to old tensions between the individual’s rights to reputation and privacy on the one hand, and freedom of expression and the freedom of the press on the other.

How should free speech be balanced with the right to reputation? This question lies at the heart of defamation law. In the following videos, Lord Neuberger and Dr Matthew Collins QC discuss current challenges in defamation law, and the implications of recent changes to legislation enacted in the Defamation Act 2013. Lord Neuberger highlights urgent issues including privacy, confidentiality, data protection, freedom of information, and the Internet.

In this video, he draws attention to recent high-profile events such as the Leveson Inquiry and the phone-hacking trials, and points up key features of the new legislation.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dr Matthew Collins QC outlines his perspective on the likely long-term impact of the 2013 Act.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Rt Hon the Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury Kt PC is President of the Supreme Court of the United Court of the United Kingdom. Dr Matthew Collins QC is a barrister based in Melbourne, Australia. He is also a Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne, a door tenant at One Brick Court chambers in London, and the author of Collins on Defamation.

The post Free speech, reputation, and the Defamation Act 2013 appeared first on OUPblog.

        

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by Sarah Levin

It was with a lot of enthusiasm that I applied for the YALSA NLLD travel stipend in late January. I honestly didn’t know a lot about legislative issues, but I did have a nagging feeling that I should be advocating for libraries, and specifically for teens. As a librarian at an independent high school in San Francisco, I need to act on behalf of teens that need a place to study on the weekends, to get job skills and volunteer. A place where kids who go to public schools that are underfunded can go and get both the help they need for school and books they want to read for fun.

I was eager to see what actually happens in DC and what kinds of people attend NLLD (all sorts of librarians and even trustees, as it turns out!). I also wanted to bring back advocacy issues to my community of teens, faculty, and other bay area librarians . When I found out I had received the funding, I felt excited and grateful, but I have to admit I was also nervous.

Me with Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)

As the date approached, I asked myself why I was going to NLLD. I am fortunate to be able to give my students the resources they need thanks to a supportive administration. Even though government funding doesn’t directly affect my library, I feel the need to act on behalf of those libraries that rely on it to survive. Still, I was a bit anxious about going. Would I be able to effectively advocate for teens?

Thankfully, our state coordinator called me about six weeks prior to NLLD and provided me with the necessary steps to get started. I made appointments with the offices of Nancy Pelosi (representing the district in which I teach) and Barbara Lee (representing the district in which I live). When I arrived in DC, ALA had planned a pre-conference for those of us who had little experience with the legislative process, as well as a briefing day to provide us with the information we’d need to advocate.

Here’s what I learned at NLLD:
• Advocating can be as simple as tweeting to your representative.
• Congress people are highly motivated by constituent communication, even more so than visits from lobbyists. Get in touch with them early and often!
• NLLD is not just one day. While it is an important day to reach out, you’ve got to maintain a relationship with your representative’s office and follow up throughout the year.
• NLLD is a great place to meet and connect with librarians who care a lot about libraries. California had over two-dozen librarians in DC, and I was honored to be a part of a group that included library directors, CLA Presidents (past and present), the interim State Librarian, and more.

Tunnel beneath the Cannon House Office Building.

Seeking support for teen services should be a priority for all of us. If you are able, make plans to go to NLLD 2015. In January, keep an eye out for the YALSA stipend application and apply! Talk to your communities about legislative issues. And support Friends of YALSA, the group that funds this opportunity.

During the next few days, YALSA’s Executive Director and I will be in Washington DC for National Library Legislative Day. We’ll be talking to Congressional Staff and policy makers at key foundations and organizations about the vital role libraries and library staff play in helping teens succeed in school and prepare for careers.

In order for our conversations to have any lasting impact though, they need to be supported by a grassroots effort from members and supporters. Without your participation in NLLD via Tweets #NLLD14), emails and phone calls, we’ll be just two people talking. We need you to amplify, to show that we are all working together to improve teens’ lives.

As of today, just over 300 individuals have signed on to support YALSA’s NLLD Thunderclap. While that’s a start, YALSA has 5,138 members. All of those members have friends, families, colleagues, and patrons who stand behind the important work that we do everyday. So please, take a few moments out of your day to help your teen patrons, your library and your livelihood. Sign our Thunderclap, reach out to your members of Congress and encourage others to do the same. Let’s leverage social media to amplify our voices and make real change for libraries and our patrons! The future of teens and libraries depends on us. #Act4Teens now.

By Matthew Flinders

The 29 August 2013 will go down as a key date in British political history. Not only because of the conflict in Syria but also due to the manner in which it reflects a shift in power and challenges certain social perceptions of Parliament.

“It is very clear to me that Parliament, reflecting the views of the British people, does not want to see British military action,” the Prime Minster acknowledged, “I get that and the Government will act accordingly.” With this simple statement David Cameron mopped the blood from his nose and retreated to consider the political costs (both domestically and internationally) of losing the vote on intervention in the Syrian conflict by just 13 votes. While commentators discuss the future of ‘the special relationship’ with the United States, and whether President Obama will risk going into Syria alone, there is great value is stepping back a little from the heat of battle and reflecting upon exactly why the vote in the House of Commons matters. In this regard, three inter-related issues deserve brief comment.

The broader political canvas on which the vote on military intervention in Syria must be painted can be summed up by what is known as the Parliamentary Decline Thesis (PDT). In its simplest manifestation the PDT suggests that the government became gradually more ascendant over Parliament during the twentieth century. Texts that lamented the ‘decline’ or ‘death’ of Parliament — such as Christopher Hollis’ Can Parliament Survive? (1949), George Keeton’s The Passing of Parliament (1952), Anthony Sampson’s Anatomy of Britain (1962), Bruce Lenman’s The Eclipse of Parliament (1992), to mention just a few examples — have dominated both the academic study of politics and how Parliament is commonly perceived.

What the vote on Syria reveals is the manner in which the balance of power between the executive and the legislature is far more complex than the PDT arguably allows for. There is no doubt that the executive generally controls the business of the House but independent-minded MPs are far more numerous, and the strength of the main parties far more constrained, than is generally understood. (Richard Crossman’s introduction to the 1964 re-print of Walter Bagehot’s The English Constitution provides a wonderful account of this fact.)

Drilling down still further, this critique of the PDT can be strengthened by examining the changing constitutional arrangements for the use of armed force. The formal legal-constitutional position over the use of armed force is relatively straightforward: Her Majesty’s armed forces are deployed under Royal Prerogative, exercised in practice by the Prime Minister and Cabinet. However, the last decade has seen increased debate and discussion about Parliament’s role in approving the use of armed force overseas. From Tam Dalyell’s proposed ten-minute rule bill in 1999 that would have required ‘the prior approval — by a simply majority of the House of Commons — of military action by the UK forces against Iraq’ through to the vote on war in Iraq on 18 March 2003, the balance of power between the executive and legislature in relation to waging war has clearly shifted towards Parliament. Prior assent in the form of a vote on a substantive motion is now required before armed force can be deployed. The problem for David Cameron is that he is the first Prime Minister to have been defeated in a vote of this nature.

Defeat for the coalition government brings us to our third and final issue: public engagement and confidence in politics (and therefore politicians). The data and survey evidence on public attitudes to political institutions, political processes and politicians is generally overwhelmingly negative with a strong sense that MPs in particular have become disconnected from the broader society they are supposed to represent and protect. The public’s perception is no doubt related to the dominance of the PDT but on this occasion it appears that a majority of MPs placed their responsibility to the public above party political loyalties.

With less than 22% of the public currently supporting military intervention in Syria, Parliament really has ‘reflected the views of the British people’. The bottom line seems to be that the public understands that ‘punitive strikes’ are unlikely to have much impact on a Syrian President who has been inflicting atrocities on his people for more than thirty months. (Only in Britain could war crimes in Syria be relegated for several months beneath a media feeding frenzy about Jeremy Paxman’s beard!) War is ugly, brutal, and messy; promises of ‘clinical’ or ‘surgical’ strikes cannot hide this fact.

At a broader level — if there is one — what the ‘war vote’ on the 29 August 2013 really reveals is that politics matters and sometimes works. Parliament is not toothless and it has the ability to play a leading role in restraining the executive in certain situations. Could it be that maybe politics isn’t quite as broken as so many ‘disaffected democrats’ seem to think?

Professor Matthew Flinders is Director of the Sir Bernard Crick Centre for the Public Understanding of Politics at the University of Sheffield. He wrote this blog while sitting in the Casualty Department of the Northern General Hospital with a broken ankle and is glad to report that he received a wonderful standard of care.

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Image credit: London Houses of Parliament and Westminster Bridge. By Francesco Gasparetti [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

The post Why Parliament matters: waging war and restraining power appeared first on OUPblog.

        

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The YALSA Legislative Committee is happy to announce the May Advocate of the Month: Wendy Morano. She was nominated by her colleague Sarah Wright who says this about Wendy’s advocacy work:

Wendy advocates for teens in the library system.  Although this is a group that can often be misunderstood and looked down on, Wendy stands up for teens and their rights in the library.  She attends all of the teen services meetings in the system and has also been accepted as part of the library system’s Summer Reading Program Committee as a teen advocate and as a member of the Developmental Assets Committee.  The latter committee would not exist without Wendy’s efforts in writing the Teen Services Tactical Plan for the library.  She, as a part of the Tactical Plan committee, presented to the library system the need to focus on strengthening the Developmental Assets (as defined by the Search Institute) of the teens in the system.  The library is now offering training in those Assets to library employees.

Wendy also runs a book club, gaming group, does countless booktalks and has improved the library system’s teen graphic novel and fiction collection. In her 15 years with the Columbus Metropolitan Library System she has become not only an advocate for teens, but a friend.

Thank you Wendy for your work with teens and libraries. If you would like to nominate a librarian, volunteer, or anyone else who advocates for teens and libraries you can fill out this short nomination form. (Please note, currently the YALSA forms are down)

The YALSA Legislative Committee is pleased to announce our April Advocate of the Month (sorry, a few days late!): Dr. Sharyl G. Smith.

She is the former State Specialist for School Library Media at the Utah State Office of Education. According to Matt McClain who nominated Dr. Smith, “she was instrumental in lobbying efforts to the Utah State Legislature during the 2011 Legislative Session.” Dr. Smith gained $600,000 in additional funding for books and electronic resources for school media centers around the state.

Here is a link about Dr. Smith’s efforts.

Thank you to Sharyl and all the advocates out there for libraries. If you know someone deserving of the YALSA Advocate of Month recognition, please nominate them here.

It’s National Library Legislative Day! Today, library supporters across the United States are participating virtually by contacting their representatives to encourage them to support libraries. YALSA has created the Tweet Your U.S. Senator Map to simplify the process for you. Two clicks, and you’re a library advocate. Here’s how to do it:

1. Visit the Google Map (below or at this link). Make sure you’re logged into Twitter through your web browser.
2. Click the Tweet Me button on your senators.
3. A message automatically generates, encouraging your senator to fund LSTA and the Innovative Approaches to Literacy Act with the #nlld hashtag. All you have to do is click “Tweet.”

It’s that simple. Share the map and advocate for libraries today!

View YALSA Tweet Your US Senator Map in a larger map

I’m sure all of you have heard again and again “talk to your legislators” but that is much easier said than done! It can be quite intimidating talking to an elected official.

 To help prepare to talk to an elected official, a tip that I recently heard in PLA’s Turning the Page 2.0 Advocacy class is to “create a parking lot speech.” It’s called a “parking lot” speech because sometimes the places you run into elected officials are parking lots, elevators and other unexpected places.

A parking lot speech is brief, ready-to-go speech that is and focused on stories not statistics. The speech is framed in a way that shows the official that THEY can benefit by helping the library, not about how the library can benefit from the official.

National Library Legislative Day is coming up on April 24^th. A great way to do something for that day is to prepare your own “parking lot” speech. It can include a personal story, why the library is important to you, and a call for action from the elected official.

On behalf of the YALSA Legislative Committee, we thank you for your work.

Happy National Library Week and National Library Workers Day!

This week we celebrate contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and to promote library use.

In two weeks, we celebrate the 38th Annual National Library Legislative Day. National Library Legislative Day is a way to let your voice be heard. Many changes in Congress now contribute to a new political climate in both the House and the Senate. New members need to hear from you and other constituents. The event will take place April 23 and 24 in Washington, D.C. Registration is simple and free at http://www.ala.org/advocacy/register-national-library-legislative-day. Please register by Monday, April 16, 2012. After you register, please contact your state’s National Library Legislative Day (NNLD) coordinator to let them know you are attending. Find your coordinator at http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/nlld/coordinators.

Can’t make it to D.C.? Organize a Contact Congress Party in your community!
Invite patrons and library supporters to your library on April 24th to contact their congresspersons’ offices and promote the value of libraries and librarians. Focus the party on one or more of the following communication tools: cell phones, email, postcards and/or Twitter. This could be a drop-in event, where patrons and supporters stop in at any time during the day to make the calls, emails, etc., or you can choose a particular time and have everyone gather at once. Please keep in mind that congressional offices usually close at 5:00 PM, EDT.

For more information on planning a “Contact Congress Party” along with many other wonderful resources, may be found on the YALSA National Library Legislative Day Wiki, http://wikis.ala.org/yalsa/index.php/National_Library_Legislative_Day.

Register, stay informed and prepare to advocate for well-stocked, professionally staffed libraries. Save the date and vote for libraries! Thank you for all that you do and for being a frontline advocate for libraries.

“What do you say to a Librarian that might not feel empowered to advocate for library services to their legislators or local community?” Rhonda Puntney Gould, ALSC Division Councilor who led the Youth Council Caucus meeting asked this difficult question this morning.

We’ll get to a few of the suggestions at the end of this post.

Youth Council Caucus is made up of ALA Councilors who are also members of one of ALA’s youth divisions; AASL, ALSC, and YALSA. To be a member of the YCC, you need to be on ALA Council and a Youth Division member. To attend a meeting, being an ALA member is all that is needed. Because issues involving youth often overlap divisions, it makes sense that there is a forum to come together for these discussions.

Topics addressed during the meeting included:

Youth Division Updates

YALSA: Nick Buron, YALSA ALA Councilor shared that the division is exploring more ways to connect with members not able to attend conference in person while keeping in mind to still be supportive of the association of ALA. He also made note of the November 2012 Young Adult Literature Symposium in St. Louis.

ALSC: Rhonda noted that the 2012 ALSC National Institute will be held in September in Indianapolis.

AASL: Sara Kelly Johns, AASL ALA Councilor shared that the 2012 Fall Forum will be held in October in Greenville, SC with Henry Jenkins as the keynote.

There was also some discussion around the Whitehouse.gov School Library petition and some of the difficulties people have had in setting up an account to be able to vote. ALA has released a press release regarding the petition. A wiki has been set up for resources on petitioning the government including a lesson plan to be used with students.

Sara also noted that the SKILLS Act has been introduced in both the House and Senate.

Sara advised to keep the accreditation issue with AASL/ALA and NCATE on our radars as it’s likely to come up again during ALA Annual in June.

Lastly, in regards to updates on AASL, an attendee reminded us that ALA President Molly Raphael has developed a 2011-2012 Special Presidential Task Force on School Libraries.

Note: During ALA Council after the YCC meeting, Council passed a resolution to add a non-voting representative from the AASL Educators of School Librarians Section to the Committee on Education.

State Youth-related News Shared by Attendees:

New York:A newly created Senate Select Committee on Libraries was formed.

Tennessee:

There has been ample buzz at Midwinter regarding signing an online petition initiated by Carl Harvey, 2011-2012, AASL president to “ensure that every child in America has access to an effective school library program.” As of this post, over 14,000 signatures are still needed by February 4 in order for the petition to be viewed by White House Staff.

The petition in its entirety can be read and signed here: Ensure that every child in American has access to an effective school library program. A blog post on AASL with comments about the petition can be viewed here.

Feel free to share your thoughts on the petition as well as how the word can be shared with colleagues and other library supporters. Note that anyone 13 or older can create or sign a petition. This is a great advocacy project for your teens to sign on to!

Well, District Days are nearly here.   We’ve been talking about the event for a while and now it’s time to take action.   District Days (August 8-September 5) provides us with the opportunity to set appointments and meet with elected officials to not only discuss our concerns but to also praise our achievements.   Make at a town hall meeting, schedule  meetings with staff members or invite elected officials to a library event.

Before you schedule your appointment take a look at ALA’s page on “Capitol Hill Basics“.    Prepare what you’re going to say in advance and remember that sharing personal experiences work great to get your point across.

ALA and YALSA both have many resources at your disposal to assist you with preparing talking points and finding supporting materials.