Advocacy Updates from Indiana Library Federation
January 19, 2017
News from the Statehouse
The short session of the Indiana General Assembly is moving fast. There are limited committee meetings before bills must pass out of the first chamber. Here are some quick links:
Highlights about ILF efforts on bills related to libraries
Township mergers
HB1005 outlines a process for the 313 smallest townships (with fewer than 1,200 residents) to merge with larger townships or with each other over five years. Thanks to the 35 libraries that responded to the survey of library directors to identify potential impacts and considerations ;  pl ease complete survey if your library might be affected. The bill was heard 1/16. We met with bill author, committee chairman and key leaders in Indiana Township Association and Indiana Chamber of Commerce to share potential impacts to libraries and ways to include libraries in the resolution drafting process. See ILF explanation of the bill and the Bose Report for more. ILF is closely monitoring this bill and talking with key legislators.

Workforce Development Reorganization
A priority of House Republicans, HB1002 reorganizes the programs within the Indiana Department of Workforce Development . Of concern to libraries and literacy advocates is the repeal of Adult Education (section 16). Our partners in the IN Association of Adult Continuing Education and IN Literacy Association advocate that Section 16 be maintained and not repealed. ILF is monitoring this bill and is concerned about repeal of the chapter on adult education . More info coming soon.

State Library - Historical Bureau Merger
HB1412 officially merges the Indiana State Library with the Indiana Historical Bureau and makes technical changes to clean up the petition process. ILF supports this bill , which is expected to have a hearing within the next two weeks.

ILF institutional and personal members may see the Bose Report for more details and links to up-to-date bill tracking lists. If you forgot your login or password, contact us to reset.
Register for Library Day at the Statehouse
Plan to attend the Library Day at the Statehouse on Tuesday, February 20. ILF works to arrange individual appointments for registered attendees. Participants may also observe committee hearings and floor session. We aim to have an interactive table for legislators and legislative assistants to learn about try e-books, devices and materials from the library.

Photo at left includes Sandra Fortner and Melissa Merida from New Albany-Floyd County Public Library with Rep. Karen Engleman and Rep. Ed Clere, 2017 Statehouse Day. More information is coming soon.
Indiana Library Federation 2018 Policy Priorities
The ILF Board of Directors approved its 2018 Policy Priorities , including a continued focus on broadband expansion initiatives, lifelong learning initiatives and support for effective school libraries and certified librarians in K12 education.

See and print our 2018 Policy Priorities for what we actively advocate, support and monitor.

You might also review the Indiana Adult Literacy Study which is referenced in the policy priorities.
Help us with ALA's Intellectual Freedom Challenge Survey
Did you know that the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) received six reports of Intellectual Freedom challenges in Indiana last year. An example included the situation in Hamilton Southeastern High School that was raised and was resolved very quickly. We suspect there were many more challenges than were reported. As your ALA chapter, we work with the OIF to identify and respond to intellectual freedom challenges.

What is an intellectual freedom challenge?
A “challenge” is a direct request to a library, school or university to remove or restrict material or services due to content or appropriateness. Requests are often submitted via a formal, written complaint or a reconsideration form. ALA's blog post explains more. Please take five minutes to report any challenges that your library or institution has encountered in 2017 to the ALA online challenge reporting form before January 31, 2018.

In the reorganization of ILF committees, the ILF Advocacy/Legislative Committee will have responsibility for this area, with a Subcommittee on Intellectual Freedom . If you would like to volunteer to help this important subcommittee, please complete the volunteer form at bottom.
Attend Third House sessions
Legislators meet with constituents in " Third House " or " Meet your Legislator " events within districts. Most legislators will offer a preview or update of the types of legislation being considered during the short session of the Indiana General Assembly . Let us know if you plan to attend one of the upcoming sessions, as we can provide talking points and updates specific to your legislators.
  • Greater Goshen - January 19 at 8am
  • Muncie Delaware - January 19 at 11:30am
  • South Bend - January 19 at 12 noon
  • Greater Lafayette - January 20 and 27 at 7:30am
  • Marion-Grant - January 20 at 8am
  • Elkhart - January 20 at 10am
  • Columbus - January 22 and 29 at 7:30am
  • Greater Kokomo - January 26 at 4pm
  • Terre Haute - January 26
  • Hendricks Co - January 29 at 7am
  • Madison Co - January 29
Thanks to Indiana Association of United Ways for maintaining the statewide calendar or the printable version . More dates are added as they are scheduled or known.
ILF School Library Census Underway - Will you help?
We launched the ILF 2018 School Library Census Survey, and volunteers have completed about 8% of the school districts to date.
Prospective volunteers may find information here and submit the volunteer form (include the school district you will survey). We estimate volunteers may spend between 20 minutes to 2 hours gathering information per district.
Legislative Updates from Bose Public Affairs
Matt Long serves as our primary account manager with Bose Public Affairs , our contracted firm for government affairs and lobbying. Through our contract, we have access to the entire team of government affairs experts.

See the latest report from Bose Public Affairs for a summary of news from the Statehouse. (Remember that Bose Reports require your ILF Member Login. Contact us if you forgot your login or password.)