If you haven’t yet participated in Virtual Library Legislative Day, now is the perfect time to do so. All week (April 23-27), library supporters from across the country are contacting their Members of Congress to let them know how important our nation’s libraries are.

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, over 350 library supporters were in Washington DC to meet with their legislators as part of National Library Legislative Day. Even if you weren’t able to attend, you can still make a difference by speaking up for libraries. Here’s how to participate in Virtual Library Legislative Day:

Call Congress

To call your Members of Congress, view this alert at the Legislative Action Center. Read over the asks and then enter your zip code into the “CALL NOW” box to find phone numbers for your legislators.

Email Congress

1.)    Visit the Legislative Action Center home page

2.)    Enter your zip code into the “Find Your Officials” box

3.)    Click on your senator’s or representative’s name

4.)    You will see their bio page appear, click the “Contact” tab

5.)    Select the option to contact your legislator via “Web Form”

6.)    Select Compose Your Own Letter

7.)    Use the talking points from the Call Alert or Issue Briefs to craft your message and send it off!

Tweet Congress

Use this very handy Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) map to find and tweet at your U.S. Senator.

To find a full listing of the issue briefs written specifically for National and Virtual Library Legislative Day, visit the NLLD home page.

Virtual Library Legislative Day is sponsored by the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends, and Foundations (ALTAFF), the ALA Washington Office, ALA's Chapter Relations Office, and the Office for Library Advocacy.