Prior to my involvement with Pennsylvania School Librarians Association (PSLA), I was very uneasy with the idea of being involved in the political realm. However, several years ago, when I reluctantly agreed to testify at a hearing for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives about school libraries, I quickly realized that the process was not nearly as intimidating as I had expected. My involvement in legislation regarding school libraries has dramatically increased this past year during my tenure as president of PSLA, and has greatly strengthened my interest and confidence in our advocacy efforts. In August, the then-chair of the Pennsylvania House Education Committee organized a hearing for the committee, and I spoke with four other school library supporters to share with the committee the importance of 21st-century school librarians.

Coverage following the August hearing brought school libraries to the notice of the larger public in Pennsylvania, as well as other representatives. Two of them, Rep. Mark Longietti and Rep. Thomas Murt, have since co-sponsored House Bill 740, which would require a certified school librarian in each school building in Pennsylvania. This bill has had nineteen additional co-signers thus far, and we are asking our members to contact and encourage their representatives to sign the bill. Our legislation page (http://www.psla.org/membership/psla-legislation/), maintained by PSLA's legislative liaison Debra Kachel, provides valuable resources for our members and other library supporters as they support this bill and other school library advocacy efforts.

We are fortunate to work with a strong strategic communications firm. Quantum Communications helps our organization to establish and maintain contact with senators and representatives. As a fully volunteer organization, led largely by currently practicing school librarians, making these contacts ourselves is a real challenge. However, with the help of Quantum's staff, our vice president, Jennifer Bates, and I had the opportunity to visit Harrisburg at the end of March and meet briefly with the new education committee chairs for both the House and Senate, in addition to meeting with the co-sponsors of HB 740. This was a new experience for both of us, and we were glad to have the support and guidance of someone familiar with the workings of the legislature. As we sat down with each of the committee chairs, we realized that it was most important to provide some education about the role of school librarians in the 21st-century. We talked about how our job has changed over the years, and how a certified librarian is even more important to students who have the Internet in their hands at all times, not less important, as they had assumed. We also provided some explanation as to the difference between school librarians and public librarians and the environments in which they work. As we left their offices, we wondered whether our words had had any impact on their thinking.

Within a short time, we learned that we had had at least a small effect, when we were notified that the Senate Education Committee chair had introduced a resolution to name April as School Library Month in Pennsylvania. Though we knew it was a politically safe action, this was exciting for us as it acknowledged that school libraries were at least on the radar of the Senate Education Committee.

Not long after this resolution was passed in the senate, we were informed that the Pennsylvania House of Representatives also planned to pass a resolution. This time, I was invited to be on the floor of the House when the voting occurred. Seeing the workings of the legislature in person was an honor and a unique experience for me. After the vote, Rep. Kristin Phillips-Hill, the prime sponsor of the resolution, spoke eloquently about the importance of school librarians, even in the age of Google. She included Neil Gaiman's quotation, "Google can bring you back, you know, 100,000 answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one," a sentiment that appeared to resonate with those on the floor of the House. Afterwards, I had the opportunity to briefly speak with Rep. Phillips-Hill about her experiences with libraries and learned that the House Education Committee chair had encouraged her to sponsor the bill. PSLA is taking this event as further evidence that our short meetings in March, along with the continued work of Quantum Communications, have been successful in increasing the legislators' understanding of school librarians' role in education.

Advocacy efforts can seem intimidating, particularly when considering meeting with legislators in person. However, these efforts can have the greatest impact. PSLA is working to increase our advocacy efforts, both by sharing resources on our website and by educating our members on how to be strong advocates. For the past two years we have sent PSLA members to Washington, D.C., for ALA's National Library Legislative Day to be trained on how to best communicate with policymakers. Anyone can, and should, contact legislators by phone and email as often as possible—but when you enable the legislator to place a face with an organization, you are much more difficult to ignore. Start small with advocacy, but don't stop there; pushing past your comfort zone can make a real difference!

The Legislation

Senate Resolution 68: Senator John H. Eichelberger, prime sponsor: March 28, 2017. http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=PDF&sessYr=2017&sessInd=0&billBody=S&billTyp=R&billNbr=0068&pn=0622

House Resolution 218: Rep. Kristin Phillips-Hill, prime sponsor: Introduced April 7, 2017, passed April 19, 2017 http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=PDF&sessYr=2017&sessInd=0&billbody=H&billtyp=R&billnbr=0218&pn=1265

PA HB 740: Rep Mark Longietti, prime sponsor. http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2017&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=740