Fwd: American Folklife Center...

Libisama@AOL.COM
Sat, 8 Jul 1995 00:30:40 -0400

II

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Forwarded message:
Subj: American Folklife Center UPDATE
Date: 95-07-08 00:28:47 EDT
From: Libisama
To: folklore@tamvm1.tamu.edu

EXPRESS YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE AMERICAN FOLKLIFE CENTER

AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

(apologies to non-U.S. participants in this list/newsgroup)

The mark up of the Legislative Branch Appropriation Bill in the Senate is
scheduled to take place next week, on TUESDAY, JULY 11. The fate of the
American Folklife Center and the Archive of Folk Culture in the Library of
Congress hangs on whether or not their normal funding is approved during this
process. Despite the fact that the House voted last month to defund the
Folklife Center, there is no reason to assume that the Senate, many of whose
members are supportive of the Center, will act on this vote. What we must
hope is that the Senate will do what it normally has in the past, which is
approve funding of the American Folklife Center as a matter of course.
You can help to ensure that this is what happens by calling or sending a fax
to one of the two key members of the Sub-Committee on Legislative Branch
Appropriations -- either the Chairman, Senator Connie Mack, or the Ranking
Minority, Senator Patty Murray -- before TUESDAY, JULY 11. (Time is short;
although telephone calls will have to wait until Monday, faxes can be sent
over the weekend.) What would help most is a faxed letter explaining how you
feel the American Folklife Center is important, and why you feel it is
crucial that it continue to receive government funding. It is not necessary
at this point to convey alarm or outrage over what happened in the House;
instead, it is important to express your support, in the strongest and most
positive terms, for what the Folklife Center does and is.
The telephone numbers are as follows:

Senator Connie Mack (R-Florida)
Voice: 202 224-5274
Fax: 202 224-8022

Senator Patty Murray (D-Washington)
Voice: 202 224-2621
Fax: 202 224-0238

Contacting your own senators would probably be equally helpful; the most
effective way to make your support felt through them would be to include in
your telephone call or fax the request that they communicate your concern
about the funding of the American Folklife Center to Senators Mack and Murray
and the Sub-Comittee on Legislative Branch Appropriations. You may find your
senators' phone or fax numbers by using the Library of Congress's LC MARVEL
Gopher server at marvel.loc.gov (login as marvel). Choose /Government
/Federal Government /Legislative Branch /Directories.
It is in the interest of everyone to protect this national treasure. The
outpouring of public support so far has made a great difference. A
last-minute flurry of calls and faxes would help to ensure that the American
Folklife Center and its precious Archive of Folk Culture are kept intact for
future generations.
Further information on the Center can be had by visiting its Gopher site on
LC MARVEL at marvel.loc.gov (login as marvel), choose / Research and
Reference, / Reading Rooms of the Library of Congress /American Folklife
Center, or visit their World Wide Web site at http://lcweb.loc.gov/folklife
You can also call 202 707-6590 (on Monday) for further information on their
current situation.