[Iabs-talk] FW: answer to a question

[David Meyer]

-----Original Message-----
From: Ruda, Sharon [mailto:SRuda at ILSOS.NET] 
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2011 2:15 PM
To: Bogdan, William; camille at horizons-blind.org; David Meyer; Deliah
Jackson; info at comp-unique.com; jimandterriforever at att.net; Patrick Olson;
Rita Howells; Ruda, Sharon; sweetnightingale at sbcglobal.net;
yankee43 at consolidated.net
Subject: answer to a question

Dave Meyer asked about the legislation that was going to reduce LSTA funding
which includes our program in IL (this past year).

I just saw this answer to the question:
Contact your Congressman to support Talking Books The Kentucky Talking Book
Library is funded almost 100% by federal grant money. You don't need to know
the alphabet soup of agencies involved (IMLS, LSTA) but you do need to know
that earlier this month a Congressman from New Jersey proposed to eliminate
this funding in an effort to reduce the federal budget.  This would have
meant the end of the Talking Book program in Kentucky, as well as many other
states.

Here is what would happen if KTBL were eliminated:
*       You would be limited to those audio books you could afford to buy or
find for loan at your local public library or other sources.
*       You would likely have to travel to the library to get and return
books.
*       You would have to buy your own players instead of having them
provided for free.
*       There would be no more Braille library service in the state.
*       No more Kentucky Books would be recorded and made accessible for
those who cannot read them in print.
*       Because KTBL administers the BARD download service in Kentucky, it
is not known whether it would still be available.  Even if BARD remained in
use in Kentucky, only 14% of our patrons are registered to use it.

Fortunately this Congressman withdrew his proposal when he learned that
veterans in his state benefited from the New Jersey Talking Book Library.
That does not mean that someone else won't try to eliminate federal library
funding.  Let your Congressmen know that you rely on this federal funding
for your Talking Books.

Find your Senator at: www.senate.gov<http://www.senate.gov/>
Find your Representative at: www.house.gov<http://www.house.gov/>


Sharon Ruda
Associate Director
Illinois State Library
300 S. Second St.
Springfield, IL 62701

Phone: 217-782-9435
Fax: 217-785-4326

An office of the Secretary of State











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