C&RL News June 2019 356

S h a w n d a  H i n e s  i s  a s s i s t a n t  d i r e c t o r  o f 
communications, Public Polic y and Advocac y, at 
ALA’s Washington Office, email: shines@alawash.org

W a s h i n g t o n  H o t l i n eShawnda Hines

The month of May was a busy one for ALA’s 
Public Policy and Advocacy Office, both in 
terms of the congressional decision-making 
and the release of new policy resources.  

Appropriations update
By the first week of May, the House Ap-
propriations Subcommittee (Labor, Health 
and Human Services, Education and Related 
Agencies) that oversees funding for the Insti-
tute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) 
proposed a $25 million increase in funding 
for IMLS, $17 million of which would go to 
libraries. Especially during a budget cycle 
when many programs face cuts, this is good 
news for libraries and a testimony to ALA’s 
advocacy. With the Senate Appropriations 
Committee being a tougher sell, ALA advo-
cates in states represented by members of 
the Committee are getting out the word that 
libraries are worth the investment. The Sen-
ate appropriations schedule was not set at 
the time of writing but could happen by the 
end of May.

Policy resources
ALA released a new white paper in the ALA 
Policy Perspectives series, “Healthier Com-
munities: Libraries improve health literacy, 
access.” Citing the shifting health landscape 
and the role that libraries play in access to 
health information, the 18-page brief argues 
that it is a joint responsibility of decision 
makers and librarians to leverage libraries in 
addressing new opportunities and challenges 
on the horizon. With more than 120,000 lo-
cations across the nation, including within 
health and research settings, libraries are 
well-positioned to improve access to cred-

ible information, provide expert assistance in 
navigating health resources and regulations, 
and work with partners to develop and deliv-
er relevant programs and services that bolster 
health and wellness. 

The paper notes ways that school and col-
lege and research libraries provide access to, 
and even supplement, health and wellness-
related curricula with books and subscription 
databases relevant to both their studies and 
personal health needs. One example is the 
Texas Woman’s University’s “Consumer Health 
LibGuide,” which provides resources that are 
authoritative, current, and allow community 
members to perform health-related research 
at differentiated reading and knowledge levels.    

The paper concludes that library leaders 
will need to take the initiative and make the 
case to decision makers—speaking in their 
language to explain how libraries represent 
cost-effective means for addressing the com-
munity’s critical health care challenges. 

On May 16, 2019, ALA released the Librar-
ies’ Guide to the 2020 Census, a resource for 
library practitioners to prepare for the 2020 
Census—the first census to offer an online re-
sponse option. Next year, when people receive 
materials asking them to complete the census, 
many will have questions, and they will turn 
to libraries as one of their most trusted sources 
of information for answers. ALA designed the 
new guide to equip libraries with answers and 
provide practical information, including FAQs, 
to help them plan for the census. An estimated 
$9 trillion in federal funding will be allocated to 
states over the next decade based on the 2020 
Census results. As the Census Bureau designates 
“mobile millennials”—especially students living 
off campus—as a “hard-to-count” population, 
college and research libraries will be needed to 
help communities achieve a fair, accurate, and 
inclusive count. To download the guide, visit 
ala.org/census. 

mailto:shines%40alawash.org?subject=