ALA announces National Library Legislative Day to be held in May 2020

WASHINGTON – The American Library Association announced today that the 45th annual National Library Legislative Day will be held May 4-5, 2020, at the Georgetown Conference Center in Washington, D.C.

National Library Legislative Day (NLLD) is a two-day educational advocacy event designed to gather hundreds of library workers, supporters, leaders, patrons and community stakeholders in Washington, D.C., to learn from policy experts and to raise awareness among federal legislators about how and why libraries are vital to communities across America.

The event begins on Monday with a full day of advocacy training, sessions and workshops on the national policy that impacts the library and information science field. Attendees will learn about key legislative priorities for libraries, prepare to make the most of their meetings on Capitol Hill and exchange best practices with library advocates from across the country. On Tuesday, attendees will put their training and skills to work during their meetings with elected officials to discuss resources for libraries in their communities.

To accommodate newly developed program schedule and the growing number of attendees, NLLD 2020 will be held at the Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center. The larger and more flexible space in the Conference Center will accommodate breakout meeting spaces for state delegation meetings and a more affordable room rate for all attendees.

“National Library Legislative Day is a pillar of our year-round approach to advocacy, and I couldn’t be more excited about what NLLD 2020 has in store,” said ALA President Wanda Brown. “A personal story delivered by library advocates is still the most powerful tool we have. Compared to ALA’s smaller targeted advocacy events throughout the congressional session, NLLD is uniquely influential because it brings together hundreds of stories from hundreds of advocates with diverse experiences as a unified voice. This makes NLLD an extraordinary opportunity to champion the interests of libraries across America.”

ALA’s National Library Legislative Day is open to the public, and anyone who is passionate about libraries, from longtime library board members to advocates freshly graduated from library school, is welcome to attend, regardless of their level of advocacy experience.

“Our face-to-face meetings during NLLD will continue to strengthen the relationships ALA members have been building since the start of the 116th Congress,” said Public Policy and Advocacy Office Associate Executive Director Kathi Kromer. “ALA is eager to bring diverse library stories to the Hill from as many congressional districts as we can in May 2020. These stories are vital to cultivating meaningful relationships with legislators, step by step over time.”

First-time, non-librarian participants who register for NLLD are eligible to apply for the White House Conference on Library and Information Services Taskforce (WHCLIST) Award. ALA’s Committee on Legislation (COL) will review applications and award a $300 travel stipend to attend NLLD, plus two complimentary nights in the conference hotel. The deadline for applications is December 15, 2020. Applicants must register for NLLD in advance.

“As advocacy leaders at ALA, we must ask ourselves: what are we doing to build up the next generation of library advocates? One way we are doing this work is via the WHCLIST Award,” says COL Chair Rob Banks. “Advocacy is a team sport—and these legacy funds continue to allow us to bring people onto the library team each year.”

Additional scholarships opportunities are available through the Association of College & Research Libraries and the Young Adult Library Services Association. To learn more and apply, visit: ala.org/advocacy/NLLD/funding.

Registration for NLLD will open later this fall. For more information, visit ala.org/nlld. To follow the conversation on social media, use #NLLD2020 and #ALAadvocacy. For other questions, email nlld@alawash.org.