Ohio Girl Lauded for Petition.

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Julia Maxwell, 10, a 5th-grader at St. Peter's Elementary School in Mansfield, Ohio, loves to read, but she didn't love reading last year that the state government was going to cut funding for libraries. "When I read that … I had to do something," Maxwell said.

So she drafted a petition opposing the cuts and circulated it throughout the school, collecting 100 signatures. She then sent it to state Rep. Bill Hartnett (D-Mansfield), a member of the legislature's finance committee, urging government officials to keep funding libraries. The state legislature ultimately restored the library funding cuts in June (AL, Aug., p, 16).

Impressed with Maxwell's efforts, Hartnett paid a visit to St, Peter's October 28 to present her with a certificate of commendation. "I'm not sure if Julia's petition was the convincing factor," Hartnett said, "but I think anecdotes like hers are more important than the numbers we have to go through."