L to R: Wyoming Senator John Barrasso; Interim Dean of Libraries at UW, Cass Kvenild; Goshen County Librarian and WLA Representative, Cristine Braddy; Wyoming State Librarian, Abby Beaver; and Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis at the U.S. Capitol
Three of our Wyoming librarians: Abby Beaver, Wyoming State Librarian; Cass Kvenild, Interim Dean of Libraries at the University of Wyoming; and Cristine Braddy, Goshen County Library Director and Wyoming Library Association Representative, had the opportunity to meet with Senators Barrasso and Lummis in Washington, D.C., last week.
L to R: Cass Kvenild, Interim Dean of Libraries at UW, and Cristine Braddy, Goshen County Librarian and WLA Representative, waiting to get their library cards at the Library of Congress
Last week during March 5-7, the group took part in the annual “Voices for Libraries”, an event held annually by COSLA (Chief Officers of State Library Agencies). The event included training and updates on federal funding for libraries, networking opportunities with librarians from all 50 states, and a visit to Capitol Hill to meet with Wyoming Senators to discuss the importance of Wyoming libraries.
“Voices for Libraries was a great opportunity for Cass, Cristine, and I to share the impressive work our Wyoming libraries are performing in their communities with our senators,” Abby Beaver, Wyoming State Librarian, said. “I had a wonderful time meeting with other State Librarians and learning about their diverse institutions.”
The Wyoming librarian delegation visited the Library of Congress and applied for and received library cards. The Library of Congress, established as a legislative library in 1800 and housed in its current location since 1897, is the largest library in the world and serves as the main research arm of the U.S. Congress as well as the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.
In addition to the Library of Congress and the U.S. Capitol, event sessions were held at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, the central location of the DC Public Library.