Libraries and the 2020 Census

There are 12,741,080 reasons for Illinois public libraries to make Census 2020 a priority.

The results of the 2020 count will determine your community's political representation and share of federal funding for a decade or more. Each uncounted person will equal a loss of $15,350
in funding toward medical assistance, local schools and higher education, social services, infrastructure investment and more over the course of 10 years.

Learn how to get your library involved with the 2020 Census.

Speakers will include:
• Denise Raleigh, Division Chief of Public Relations & Communications at Gail Borden Public Library
• Anita Banerji, Director of Democracy Initiative, Forefront
• Representative Theresa Mah, Illinois General Assembly, 2nd District

Topics include:
• How Census data will be used in your community: redistricting, financial implications of under-count
• Challenges and opportunities for libraries surrounding a digital decennial census (including privacy, digital literacy, internet access)
• How to identify and reach the Hard-To-Count people in your community (outreach, programming, Complete Count Commissions)

Leave with ideas to build a scalable committee framework for your community, information on grant opportunities through the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) in the coming weeks, and resource sharing to help your front-line and professional staff become comfortable in assisting the public when filling out their form online in our spaces.