State Legislative Agenda

To comment on WLA's position on state library issues or get more involved, please contact the LD&L Chair or a member of the committee.

The Wisconsin Library Association affirms that:

Library services address essential informational, educational, cultural, and recreational needs for Wisconsin residents and merit strong legislative support.
The state’s libraries, by providing lifelong learning opportunities, make a significant contribution to the quality of life for all Wisconsin residents.
The state’s libraries through a statewide knowledge network provide essential information resources for the state’s economic development, small business planning and job seekers.
The state’s libraries, through multiple cooperative arrangements, serve as models for regional and statewide cooperation.
The state’s librarians provide Wisconsin residents with the essential information services they need to succeed at school, at work, and in their personal lives.

The Wisconsin Library Association supports state legislative policy that:

Ensures that all the people of Wisconsin have the broadest possible access to information resources and materials.
Preserves the fundamental principle of publicly funded free and open access to library materials and services.
Ensures privacy in the use of library materials and services.
Supports the development of collections and resources for libraries of all types.
Broadens the availability of communications technology for educational and information resources.
Promotes regional and statewide sharing of library and information resources.
Supports strong statewide leadership for library development and cooperation.
Supports the fair and equitable funding of public libraries and public library systems by local governments, counties, and the state.
Provides incentives for library system collaboration and reduces constraints on the ability of systems to reorganize and consolidate to improve service and increase efficiency.

The Wisconsin Library Association opposes state legislative policy that:

Restricts access by Wisconsin residents to information resources and materials.
Affects local and state taxing options that could have an adverse affect on libraries.
Intrudes on the privacy of library users.
Interferes with the right of local public library boards to independently determine local library policy, staffing, and services based on community standards.
Mandates a specific percentage of funding for educational institutions be spent on classroom instruction.

Legislative positions that enhance all Wisconsin’s libraries

The use of the Universal Service Fund for BadgerLink and other library services.
Expanded funding for BadgerLink resources.
Libraries’ access to sufficient, coordinated, and affordable bandwidth.
Funding for statewide delivery of library materials.
Funding to support traditional service levels for statewide resource contracts: Cooperative Children’s Book Center, Milwaukee Public Library Interlibrary Loan, Wisconsin Library Services and Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library.
Funding to support the Wisconsin State Law Library and the Milwaukee County and Dane County Legal Resource libraries.
Access to government publications/documents.
Maintaining free and open access by all Wisconsin citizens to publicly funded library materials.

Legislative positions that enhance Wisconsin’s public libraries

Improved funding, as specified in Wisconsin statutes, for public library systems aids.
Public library district enabling legislation.
Funding for the purchase of access to electronically published materials for all Wisconsin citizens

Legislative positions that enhance Wisconsin’s publicly supported academic libraries:

Legislative positions that enhance Wisconsin’s school and institutional libraries

The appropriate use of the Common School Fund for strong school library programs under the guidance of certified school library media professionals.
Updated standards for school library media centers.
The employment of at least one full-time certified school library media specialist and appropriate support staff in every school.
The employment of at least one full-time instructional technology professional and appropriate support staff in every school.
Protective status for librarians, social workers and teachers employed in correctional institutions.