[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 62 (Thursday, April 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S2721]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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  SENATE RESOLUTION 637--EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE STAFF OF PUBLIC, 
 SCHOOL, ACADEMIC, AND SPECIAL LIBRARIES IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE 
ESSENTIAL SERVICES THOSE LIBRARIES PROVIDE TO COMMUNITIES, RECOGNIZING 
   THE NEED FOR FUNDING COMMENSURATE WITH THE BROAD SCOPE OF SOCIAL 
 SERVICE AND COMMUNITY SUPPORTS PROVIDED BY LIBRARIES, PRESERVING THE 
RIGHT OF ALL CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES TO FREELY ACCESS INFORMATION 
AND RESOURCES IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, SUPPORTING A STRONG UNION VOICE FOR 
    LIBRARY WORKERS, AND DEFENDING THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF LIBRARY STAFF

  Ms. HIRONO (for herself, Mr. Reed, Ms. Butler, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Van 
Hollen, Mr. King, and Mr. Padilla) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions:

                              S. Res. 637

       Whereas library staff are cornerstones of their communities 
     in the United States, providing visitors with access to books 
     and media, delivering high-quality programming to visitors of 
     all ages, ensuring equitable internet access for all, and 
     linking people to crucial information about accessing social 
     services;
       Whereas libraries are an economic powerhouse in their 
     communities, providing resources to small business owners, 
     job seekers, and individuals learning new skills;
       Whereas, in recent years, library staff have been called on 
     to address the fallout from difficult public crises in the 
     United States, taking on roles that exceed the traditional 
     role of providing a space for, and access to, educational and 
     cultural enrichment;
       Whereas library staff provide lifesaving care to members of 
     their communities who are suffering the effects of the 
     ongoing and tragic opioid epidemic in the United States, 
     including being called on to administer medication to treat 
     overdoses;
       Whereas libraries are a safe haven for individuals and 
     families who are unhoused, and library workers provide the 
     supportive community environment and resources needed by 
     unhoused individuals and families;
       Whereas libraries are often the only source of internet for 
     underserved communities;
       Whereas library staff maintained public access to essential 
     library services and were relied on to distribute personal 
     protective equipment and provide testing to the public during 
     the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic;
       Whereas libraries have met an expanded and intensified 
     demand for community, public health, and safety net services, 
     often while contending with severe funding cuts, creating 
     unsustainable and frequently unsafe working conditions for 
     library staff;
       Whereas the health and survival of democracy in the United 
     States requires that everyone be able to exercise rights to 
     information and services, and it is especially important for 
     young people to have the opportunity to learn, encounter, and 
     debate all manner of ideas, including controversial ones;
       Whereas students have been shown to spend more time reading 
     and exhibit higher reading scores when given access to 
     diverse titles, and library staff play a crucial role in 
     curating diverse book offerings for young readers;
       Whereas a fundamental responsibility of the job of library 
     staff is making decisions about the books and media in their 
     collections and assisting visitors in accessing those 
     materials without fear of censorship or reprisal for 
     fulfilling the role of providing information and resources to 
     the public;
       Whereas, from 2023 to 2024, there were deplorable incidents 
     throughout the United States that were orchestrated to 
     intimidate library staff and prevent them from fulfilling 
     their central work responsibility to provide the public with 
     free and unfettered access to information;
       Whereas library staff across the United States are 
     mobilizing for a collective union voice in their workplaces 
     to elevate their profession, to ensure safe and adequately 
     resourced spaces that meet the needs of the communities they 
     serve, and to protect the essential role of libraries in the 
     democracy of the United States; and
       Whereas the week of April 7 through April 13, 2024, would 
     be an appropriate time to celebrate ``National Library 
     Week'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commends the work of library staff in the United 
     States;
       (2) supports the goals and ideals of National Library Week;
       (3) recognizes that libraries and library staff provide 
     critical infrastructure for the United States and are 
     essential to the future of the United States;
       (4) supports the prioritization of full funding of library 
     services at the Federal, State, and local levels to ensure 
     the continuation and improvement of library services;
       (5) reaffirms--
       (A) the fundamental right of the people of the United 
     States to access information, which is made real through the 
     efforts of library staff;
       (B) the fundamental right of library workers to organize 
     and collectively bargain at work and to have a protected 
     voice in their workplace; and
       (C) the civil rights of library workers to exercise their 
     responsibilities to the public without threats or 
     intimidation; and
       (6) recognizes the right of library staff--
       (A) to speak out on matters of public concern;
       (B) to address themselves to elected officials and to the 
     administration of the entities that employ library staff; and
       (C) to inform the people of the United States about their 
     right to free and unfettered access to information, and about 
     threats to that access.

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