A Letter from the Director: Participating in Government
April 9, 2025
Over the past few weeks at Portsmouth Public Library, we’ve received many calls, emails and visits from concerned library users worried about threats to library funding at the state and federal levels. For more information about the executive order calling for the elimination of the Institute for Museum and Library Services, visit portsmouthnh.gov/library/news/IMLS. Library users have asked us what they can do to protect libraries, and if we could provide training on just how our government works. For many of us, it has been some time since we studied civics in school! Read on for some entry-level information about following legislation and contacting your representatives. For more on this topic, check out our Civics Zine in print at the library, or available online.
Federal Level:
The State of New Hampshire has a delegation of 4 representatives in the US Congress, 2 senators and 2 representatives. If you wish to contact them, whether about libraries and the fate of the Institute for Museum and Library Services or any other topic under discussion in the federal government, you can phone them or email using the contact information below. While it may be a junior staff member who answers the phone, these are valuable team members who gather and report on phone call data in meetings with the senator or representative. And whether you think your representative agrees with or disagrees with your opinion, they need to hear how their constituents feel.
Consider also that in addition to caring about New Hampshire, our representatives are assigned to specific committees and may also be members of caucuses, so an appeal to the right one may be especially useful. You can find more information about their committees and other details on their website as well.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen
shaheen.senate.gov/contact/contact-jeanne
Phone: (603) 750-3004 and (202) 224-2841Senator Maggie Hassan
hassan.senate.gov/contact/email
Phone: (603) 433-4445 and (202) 224-3324Representative Chris Pappas
pappas.house.gov/contact
Phone: 603-285-4300 and 202-225-5456Representative Maggie Goodlander
(only if you live in the 2nd District)
Be aware that both Senators represent the whole state, whereas each Representative handles only their district. Portsmouth residents are in District 1.
If you would like to follow what is happening in Washington, here are a few resources in addition to representatives:
State Level:
The same applies to state and local representatives. To learn more about what’s happening in Concord and identify your representatives here are some resources.
Governor Kelly Ayotte
Phone: (603) 271-7676
Who represents you?
To find your state senator and representative, visit gc.nh.gov/senate/members/wml.aspx and enter your town.
In Portsmouth, our senator is:
Rebecca Perkins Kwoka
Email:Rebecca.PerkinsKwoka@gc.nh.gov
Phone: (603) 271-3207
To know your specific representative, Portsmouth residents will need to know which Ward they live in (1-5). You can find your ward at portsmouthnh.gov/cityclerk/voting-information.
To track state legislation, visit gc.nh.gov/bill_status/advanced.aspx.
For more information on how a bill becomes a state law, visit nh.gov/almanac/bills.htm.
Local:
And of course, don’t forget about involvement at the local level. In addition to following what happens in City Hall, you can more easily get involved in local government than in state or federal levels.
For more information on the City Council, including upcoming meeting dates, visit portsmouthnh.gov/citycouncil.
Interested in serving on a board or commission? Visit portsmouthnh.gov/cityclerk/boards-commissions-and-committees-information.
If you have other questions about government and keeping informed, please contact our Reference Department staff who can help find what you need.
Thank you!
We are so grateful to this community for their support and use of our library and its many services.
Christine C. Friese
Library Director
Portsmouth (NH) Public Library