LIBRARY ADVOCACY DAY: Wednesday, February 28th – Albany, NY
Library advocates can visit one-on-one with their legislators to inform them of NYLA’s State Budget Priorities for the year.
Advocacy Day Handout: Advocacy materials are distributed to Advocacy Day attendees to use in their meetings with legislators and staff.
Why is it important to travel to Albany to talk with my legislators about library issues?
- Libraries need you to speak out for them.
- Libraries need more state money.
- Legislators need to learn what libraries do for citizens of New York State.
February 28th Visits with State Legislators:
| 8:45 a.m. | Senator Elizabeth Little (Meeting with Mary Pat or other staff members) | 310 LOB |
| 9:30 a.m. | Senator Patty Ritchie (Meeting with Shiela O’Sullivan) | 412 LOB |
| 11:00 a.m. | Assemblyman Marc Butler | 525 LOB |
| 11:30 a.m. | Assemblyman Will Barclay | 521 LOB |
| 11:30 a.m. | Assemblyman Dan Stec | 940 LOB |
| 12:00 p.m. | Assemblyman Billy Jones | Off the floor |
| 12:30 p.m. | Assemblywoman Addie Jenne | Off the floor |
| 1:00 p.m. | Senator Joseph Griffo (Meeting with Chief of Staff Dwight Evans) | 612 LOB |
| 2:00 p.m. | Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush | 322 LOB |
(LOB = Legislative Office Building)
(Off the floor = go to the assembly room and hand in a business card with the politician’s name on the back; they will come out and meet with you)
Security Information:
Please plan for airport-like security measures in place in the New York State Capitol, the Legislative Office Building and its surrounding buildings. Please be prepared to pass through a metal detector and have your belongings go through an X-ray machine. It is recommended that attendees carry a photo ID at all times, as all adults (16+) must show a photo ID to enter. In addition, items that are sharp or may be construed as weapons are not allowed in any of the Empire State Plaza buildings. (Including “sticks” attached to Rally signs.) Due to the security measures and the number of people expected in Albany on Lobby Day, please leave yourself plenty of time to travel between security and meetings with legislators.
Library Advocacy Day Details:
Details on the day provided by the New York Library Association may be found here.
Security Information:
Please plan for airport-like security measures in place in the New York State Capitol, the Legislative Office Building and its surrounding buildings. Please be prepared to pass through a metal detector and have your belongings go through an X-ray machine. It is recommended that attendees carry a photo ID at all times, as all adults (16+) must show a photo ID to enter. In addition, items that are sharp or may be construed as weapons are not allowed in any of the Empire State Plaza buildings. (Including “sticks” attached to Rally signs.) Due to the security measures and the number of people expected in Albany on Lobby Day, please leave yourself plenty of time to travel between security and meetings with legislators.
Library Advocacy Day Details:
Details on the day provided by the New York Library Association may be found here.
Advocacy
The Northern New York Library Network is involved in advocacy in many ways: it assists in organizing local visits to state legislators; organizing office visits to state legislators on NYLA Advocacy Day in Albany; and (through its membership in the New York Alliance of Library Systems) funding the services of a professional lobbying firm to represent libraries’ interests in Albany.
The Network also supports the advocacy initiatives of the New York Library Association and endorses the legislative priorities of the Association.