Library showcases Blair L. M. Kelly's book and offers literacy tutor training in February.

lakecountylibrary: > The Trump administration has issued an executive order aimed at dismantling the Institute of Museum and Library Services - the ONLY federal agency for America’s libraries. > > Using just 0.003% of the federal budget, the IMLS funds services at libraries across the country; services like Braille and talking books for the visually impaired, high-speed internet access, and early literacy programs. > > Libraries are known for doing more with less, but even we can’t work with nothing. > > ## **How You Can Help:** > > ALT > > ## 🔥 **Call your congressperson!** > > Use the app of your choice or look ‘em up here: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member > >> _**Pro tip:**__If your phone anxiety is high, call at night and leave a voicemail. You can even write yourself a script in advance and read it off. Heck, read them this post if you want to._ > > Phones a total no-go? The American Library Association has a form for you: https://oneclickpolitics.global.ssl.fastly.net/messages/edit?promo_id=23577 > > ## 🔥**Tell your friends**! > > Tell strangers, for that matter. People in line at the check out, your elderly neighbor, the mail carrier - no one is safe from your library advocacy. Libraries are for _everyone_ and we need all the help we can get. > > ## …**Wait, why do we need this IMLS thing again?** > > The ALA says it best in their official statement and lists some ways libraries across the country use IMLS funding: > > ALA statement on White House assault on the Institute of Museum and Library Services > > But if you want a really specific answer, here at LCPL we use IMLS funding to provide our amazing **interlibrary loan service**. If we can’t purchase an item you request (out of print books, for example) this service lets us borrow it from another library and check it out to you. > > IMLS also funds the statewide **Indiana Digital Library** and **Evergreen Indiana** , which gives patrons of smaller Indiana libraries access to collections just as large and varied as the big libraries’ collections. > > ## As usual, cutting this funding will hurt rural communities the most - but _every_ library user will feel it one way or another. Let’s let Congress know that’s unacceptable.

Lake County Library launches reading challenge with prizes for kids and adults starting Thursday.