Like many others around the state, SELCO staff members, are contacting Legacy Conference Committee Members and requesting a continued appropriation of Arts and Cultural Heritage (ACHF) funding be dedicated to libraries. Here is a sample letter from the southeast.
Please retain House approach for Library Legacy appropriation.
As a member of the Legacy Conference Committee, I urge you to approve the House language regarding the distribution of Arts and Cultural Heritage Legacy funding for libraries. During the past two years, libraries worked closely with community organizations to host a wide variety of programs. Many of these events were accomplished with just a few hundred dollars and lots of local enthusiasm.
SELCO (the regional public library system) allocated 48% of its Legacy appropriation to a competitive grant program. This approach allowed local creativity to shine. Grant awards ranged from $145 to license public performance rights for a community gardening movie night at the Houston Nature Center collaborating with the Houston Public Library to $47,966 awarded to the Great River Shakespeare Festival that cooperated with 15 public libraries. SELCO’s grant process is in place and will be easy to continue into the future.
Public discussions in each of the 11 counties framed the region-wide endeavors and SELCO responded. As a result, the regional library worked with the Minnesota Historical Society to digitize newspapers in four counties, published two poetry anthologies, partnered with SEMVA and installed a traveling art exhibit in 17 communities, and hosted Minnesota authors in libraries, schools, and coffee shops.
Because SELCO works so closely with libraries throughout the region, the regional library moved quickly to roll out both the competitive grant program and the regional projects. I urge you to continue the distribution of Legacy dollars to the regional library systems.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Ann Hutton, SELCO/SELS Executive Director