Groton — In a move befitting her role as a library director, Connecticut Library Association President Kate Byroade introduced a breakout session on the 2020 census by referencing a children's book. In "Tricking the Tallyman," a census worker in 1790 — the year of the first U.S. census — finds that the people of the town of Tunbridge don't want to be counted.

Now, 23 census counts later, Byroade wants libraries to help make sure everyone in Connecticut is counted.

"I think in some communities, because we're already tied in with a community center or a cultural center, we have already existing relationships and we will be invited into that space," she told The Day. She plans to speak at department head meetings in her town of Colchester, and to the Rotary and Lions Club.

Byroade noted that librarians are among the most trusted professions, and they're already helping people with tax forms. Libraries also can offer space for meetings and training — important, considering the census offices opening in Danbury, New Haven and Hartford are purely operational, not public.

The U.S. Census Library 2020 Kickoff was one of many sessions at the Connecticut Library Association's annual conference at the Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa on Tuesday, a week after the U.S. Supreme Court heard opening arguments on the challenge to implementing a citizenship question for the census.

Title 13 prohibits the release of personal information collected for census purposes, and Census Bureau Regional Director Jeff Behler said nothing supersedes that. The fine for breaking confidentiality is up to five years in prison or $250,000.

"I don't care what administration is in office," Behler said. "By law, we cannot give that information."

The Census Bureau will launch a $500 million national media campaign in January 2020 to encourage people to respond, Behler said, and will send its first mailouts in March. People can respond online for the first time, in addition to by phone or mail.

The Census Bureau is aiming for a 60.5 percent self-response rate, and those who don't respond will get visits from census workers. Behler said Census Bureau staff will balloon from 2,000 to 125,000, with part-time jobs that typically pay $21 to $25 an hour.

Michelle Riordan-Nold, executive director of the Connecticut Data Collaborative, said that some difficult-to-count populations include people of color, those born in another country or with limited English proficiency, renters, residents of multifamily housing and children under 5.

She added that Norwich and New London are among the Connecticut cities and towns with the additional struggle of having a relatively high percentage of households with no internet access.

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz stressed that it's important to respond to the census because it determines how much money Connecticut gets from the federal government for programs like Medicaid, Head Start, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Low Income Energy Assistance Program and community health centers.

She added that it's important data to grow jobs in the state, and for political representation.

Bysiewicz told the librarians, "We know you are a trusted partner in your community, where people feel like they can go and get accurate information."

U.S. Census Bureau data dissemination specialist Ana-Maria Garcia said the Hartford Public Library was one of the biggest partners when she was working on the census in 2010. She encouraged the librarians gathered in Groton on Tuesday to start Complete Count Committees in their towns.

Come March 2020, she wants every librarian to ask every patron if they've responded to the census. If they say yes, perhaps they can get a sticker, and if they say no, the librarian can direct them to a computer to spend 10 minutes completing it.

e.moser@theday.com