The Latah County Library District is excited about a project which would
allow all Idahoans access to a wealth of information, free of charge, at
their local public, school, or academic library.
LiLI (Libraries Linking Idaho) is a joint project of the Idaho State
Library
and the Idaho library community designed to provide even the smallest
library in our state the ability to offer the contents of over 1,500
magazines to its patrons. This is how it works: a student in Bovill, a
family in Potlatch, or a business owner in Moscow needs information to
complete a school project, make a consumer decision, or determine the
latest
business trends. They come to their closest public or school library,
access
a database of full-text articles on the LiLI website through the Internet,
and print off the article they need. Since the average number of magazine
subscriptions in Idaho libraries is less than 35, you can imagine what
1,500
could do for our library users.
The cost for all this: $465,000 per year, or $.40 for every resident of
the state. Governor Batt thought that this was such a great deal that he
included it
in his proposed budget for the coming year. Now the concept is before the
legislature in Boise and needs your support. If you believe that every
Idahoan deserves this level of access to information, regardless of where
he or she lives in the state, please contact your legislators and members
of JFAC
(Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee) as soon as possible.
It is especially important to contact Senator Gary Schroeder, Chair of the
Senate Education Committee, by writing him at: Idaho State Legislature,
State Capitol Building, P.O. Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0081 or by faxing
him a letter at (208) 334-5397. The Senate Education Committee meets on
Friday, Feb. 6 and needs input before that.
It is also critical that this money be appropriated this year, for a single
statewide license that includes all the state's libraries. At present none
of Idaho's libraries subscribe to LiLI. However, if the legislature does
not approve LiLI this year for all the state's libraries, it is likely that
segments of the library community (particularly the academic libraries)
will soon "go it alone" and seek funding for this subscription just for
their subset of libraries. At the moment we have an opportunity -- an
opportunity which will not last -- to simultaneously bring all of Idaho's
libraries into the 21st century.
Wouldn't this be a great investment in our public education system, and in
"lifelong learning" for Idahoans everywhere?
Thank you very much.
Judy Brown
Trustee, Latah County Library District