Legislative Day Goes Virtual this Spring
Due to the ongoing pandemic, the 2021 Legislative Day will be presented in a different format from previous years. OLC will transition to online programming and grassroots efforts by hosting a virtual Ohio Library Week — April 5-9, 2021 (which will coincide with National Library Week). Meetings with individual legislators (or their office) will be coordinated through OLC’s Legislative Network.
Although this year’s event will take a different form, your engagement is essential to making our voices heard. We look forward to your participation!
Ohio Library Week Schedule
Gov. Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine will kick off Ohio Library Week on Monday, April 5.
Monday, April 5
9:30 – 10:30 a.m. | Welcome to Ohio Library Week (Virtual Kick-Off Event)
Special Guests: Governor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine
During this virtual session, OLC’s Executive Director Michelle Francis and Director of Government and Legal Services Jay Smith will outline plans for the week and provide an update on OLC’s advocacy efforts at the Statehouse. They will be joined by special guests Governor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine.
Advocacy activity for Monday: Share on social media what your library is doing to promote early literacy in your community. Use hashtag #OhioLibraryWeek
Senate President Matt Huffman will join library advocates on April 6.
Tuesday, April 6
10:00-11:00 a.m. | Virtual session with House and Senate Leadership
Special Guest: Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima)
Advocacy activity for Tuesday: Share on social media what your library is doing to help job seekers, employers, entrepreneurs and small businesses. Use hashtag #OhioLibraryWeek
Wednesday, April 7
Advocacy activity for Wednesday: Share on social media how your library is helping Ohioans connect to the Internet and gain technology skills. Use hashtag #OhioLibraryWeek
Senator Matt Dolan will join library advocates on April 8.
Thursday, April 8
10:00-11:00 a.m. | Virtual session with House and Senate Finance Leadership
Special Guest: Senator Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee
Advocacy activity for Thursday: Share on social media what your library is doing to address the educational gap caused by the pandemic (i.e. partnerships with schools, library ecards for students and teachers, loaning WiFi hotspots, etc.)
Friday, April 9
10:00-11:00 a.m. | Virtual session with Minority Leadership
Advocacy activity for Friday: Share on social media what your library has done over the past year (COVID-19 crisis response, curbside pickup/delivery services, expanding eBook collections, virtual programming/services, etc.) and share your library’s return on investment to the community (use the OLC’s ROI calculator).
Additional resources are available on the OLC website.
