jan09c.indd


Jenni Terry W a s h i n g t o n  H o t l i n e  

National Library Legislative Day 
College­age voter participation in a presiden­
tial election reached historic levels this past 
November, but involvement in the democrat­
ic process does not have to end with a trip to 
the voting booth for young Americans. 

In fact, library advocates have an opportunity 
to take their cause all the way to Washington. 

As the ALA’s Washington Office gears up 
for its annual National Library Legislative Day 
(NLLD), to be held May 11–12, 2009, getting 
more college­age participants involved is a top 
priority. 

November’s unprecedented voter turnout 
among younger voters turned the heads of 
the new Congress and gained the attention, 
and appreciation, of President­elect Barack 
Obama, who has frequently acknowledged the 
role the young crowd played in his claiming 
a victory. Additionally, President­elect Obama 
has spoken on behalf of libraries on numer­
able occasions—dubbing them sanctuaries 
of learning, crediting the New York Public 
Library with helping him obtain his position as 
a community organizer in Chicago, and citing 
library closures as one of the dire effects of 
the weakened economy. 

With Congress’ ear bent to young voters 
and the new Administration discussing the 
importance of libraries, there has never been 
a Washington more ready to hear from young 
voters—or library advocates—and NLLD is 
the perfect avenue for library advocates of all 
ages to speak directly to Members of Congress 
about the concerns facing libraries. 

WHCLIST award 
Each year, NLLD draws more than 500 par­
ticipants from across the country, but the cost 
can deter college students from participating. 
Fortunately, there is a way for one lucky in­
dividual to participate at a reduced cost. Each 
year, the White House Conference on Library 

Jenni Terry is press officer at ALA’s Washington Offi  ce, 
e-mail: jterry@alawash.org 

and Information Services Taskforce (WH­
CLIST) provides a stipend of $300, and, this 
year, a free two­nights’ stay at the conference 
hotel to help defray the cost for a nonlibrarian 
participant to attend NLLD. 

WHCLIST is an effective force in library 
advocacy nationally, statewide, and locally 
following the White House Conferences on 
Library and Information Services in 1979 and 
1991. WHCLIST has chosen to provide its assets 
to the ALA Washington Office to transmit the 
spirit of committed, passionate library support 
to a new generation of advocates. Both ALA 
and WHCLIST are committed to ensuring that 
the American people get the best library service 
possible, and the WHCLIST award is used to 
further these efforts. 

The criteria for the WHCLIST award are: 
• The recipient should be a library sup­

porter (trustee, friend, general supporter) and 
not a professional librarian. 

• Priority will be given to fi rst­time at­
tendees of NLLD. 

• Applicants must submit a registration form 
and a letter of reference from a library director, 
school librarian, library board chair, friend’s 
group chair, or other library representative, and 
an essay or letter explaining why the candidate 
should be selected to: Kristin Murphy, Govern­
ment Relations Specialist, American Library As­
sociation, 1615 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, 
First Floor, Washington, D.C. 20009; fax: (202) 
628­8419; kmurphy@alawash.org. 

The deadline for applications for the WH­
CLIST award is April 15, and the winner will be 
notified at NLLD. Representatives of WHCLIST 
and the ALA Washington Office will choose 
the recipient. The ALA Washington Offi ce will 
contact the recipient’s senators and representa­
tives to announce the award. 

The NLLD registration form, as well as ad­
ditional information on NLLD (including an 
informative video) can be accessed on ALA 
Web site’s under the Washington Offi ce sec­
tion at www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offi ces/wo 
/washevents/nlld/nlld2009.cfm. 

C&RL News January 2009  54 

www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offi
mailto:kmurphy@alawash.org
mailto:jterry@alawash.org