[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 98 (Thursday, July 15, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S8224]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON LIBRARY AND 
                          INFORMATION SERVICES

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 25th 
anniversary of both the first White House Conference on Library and 
Information Services and the White House Conference on Library and 
Information Services Taskforce, WHCLIST, as well as to applaud a 
booklet, ``Libraries, Citizens & Advocacy: The Lasting Effects of Two 
White House Conferences on Library and Information Services,'' 
published by WHCLIST in honor of this occasion.
  As a result of the WHCLIST conferences and efforts--which have 
brought together hundreds of thousands of citizen representatives and 
library professionals--many Americans have discovered their community 
libraries for the first time, hundreds of Friends of the Library groups 
have formed, and a cadre of committed library supporters has emerged. 
The conferences renewed our Nation's emphasis on libraries and have 
helped spur my efforts to improve libraries.
  The ``Libraries, Citizens & Advocacy'' report, which assesses the 
outcomes of the 1979 and 1991 White House Conferences on Library and 
Information Services, concludes that the WHCLIST has effectively 
focused the attention of the profession, trustees and advocates, and 
elected local, State, and national officials on the conferences' 
resolutions and recommendations. In the past quarter of a century, many 
of these resolutions and recommendations have been realized.
  For example, resolutions from the 1979 conference included urging 
libraries to play a greater role in literacy development; provide 
improved access for minority groups, individuals with disabilities, and 
other underserved populations; and serve as a community center that 
offers recreation, social interaction, and an independent learning 
center. Delegates to the 1991 conference voted the Omnibus Children and 
Youth Initiative as the recommendation of greatest priority, including 
recommendations for school libraries and children's services in public 
libraries, intergenerational programming, and family literacy 
partnerships between library and Head Start personnel.
  We have made significant progress toward improving the quality of 
school libraries. Notably, the 1996 passage of the Library Services and 
Technology Act made school libraries eligible to receive Federal funds 
for training, networks, and statewide consortium activities, and the 
Improving Literacy through School Libraries program, which I authored 
and was included as part of the No Child Left Behind Act, restored 
categorical funding for school libraries.
  I have been proud to lead the way on these pieces of legislation, 
which ensure access to library and information services for library 
patrons of all ages, support the training and recruitment of 
librarians, and help provide the resources libraries need to improve 
literacy skills and academic achievement. I am honored to continue in 
the spirit of Senator Claiborne Pell's strong leadership on library 
issues.
  I also wish to acknowledge the immense contributions and passionate 
advocacy of two other leaders from my home State: Rose Ellen A. 
Reynolds, current WHCLIST chair, and Joan Ress Reeves, delegate to the 
1979 and 1991 conferences and former WHCLIST chair.
  Let us recognize the White House Conference on Library and 
Information Taskforce on this 25th anniversary and celebrate the role 
it has played in improving our communities' libraries and our Nation's 
literacy.

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