Our Beliefs

• We believe an effective school library, led by a certified library media specialist, is an integral part of the learning community.

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• We believe learners should be prepared for life beyond school, whether college or career.

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• We believe literacy is at the core of personal and academic success.

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• We believe intellectual freedom is every learner’s right.

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• We believe information technologies must be appropriately integrated and equitably available.

Call to Action

HB 516 and SB 226 are currently assigned to their respective body’s judiciary committees for consideration. Both bills seek to revise Georgia Code to remove school libraries from the library exception to criminal prosecution for “distribution of harmful materials to minors.” This is a simplified version of a bill last year which did not pass out of the committee, and our goal is that these two bills also remain in committee this year. Both bills propose to move the word “school” from this section:

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§ 16-12-104. Library exception

The provisions of Code Section 16-12-103 shall not apply to any public library operated by the state or any of its political subdivisions nor to any library operated as a part of any school, college, or university.

Advocating for Library Media Programs, Staffing, and Funding

Do you know both the legislators who represent you personally as well as those who represent the families whose children you teach? A new website - https://openstates.org/ - provides direction and links on who represents a specific address. If you are interested in receiving information on legislative updates and potentially participating in advocacy when needed, please send an email with your name, school, and school district (plus RESA district if known) to gaschoollibraryadvocacy@gmail.com

Personal interaction with legislators, whether by email or phone, or face-to-face, with stories specific to your school’s situation is most effective.  Especially with so many new members in the legislature this session, laying the groundwork with yours now may improve responsiveness later. Please review the lists of committee members below to see if you recognize any names or towns; linking to their biographies on the General Assembly website may also provide valuable information on their backgrounds, affiliations, and interests. 

 If you have questions regarding advocating for Georgia school library programs, have a story to share, and/or would like to join the GLMA Advocacy Committee, please contact Nan Brown at nantbrown@gmail.com.

Please also begin to consider how your library funding and staffing may have changed over the past several years.  Having this information at hand if changes are proposed in the session (or another education funding study commission is formed) may be very helpful.  State School Superintendent Richard Woods will also be speaking at GLMA Summer Institute in June; specific information on funding and staffing challenges our library programs face will be useful then as well.