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Dipping Your Toe into the Advocacy Pool

Dipping Your Toe into the Advocacy Pool. Communicating the Value of Library Services for Teens. What is Advocacy?. A good definition comes from AASL:

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Dipping Your Toe into the Advocacy Pool

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  1. Dipping Your Toe into the Advocacy Pool Communicating the Value of Library Services for Teens

  2. What is Advocacy? A good definition comes from AASL: • On-going process of building partnerships so that others will act for and with you, turning passive support into educated action for the library program. • It begins with a vision and a plan for the library program that is then matched to the agenda and priorities of stakeholders.

  3. What is NOT Advocacy? • Most of advocacy is not lobbying, but lobbying is a legally allowable and regulated form of advocacy • It is when your organization takes a position on a piece of legislation & asks elected officials to support or oppose that legislation • Nonprofits are permitted to do some lobbying as part of their overall advocacy • The amount is based on the size of their budget

  4. Why advocate? • You can’t assume anyone else is doing it. • It’s a part of being an effective librarian or library worker. • The squeaky wheel gets the grease. • The general public isn’t always aware of what the library has to offer. • Because many teens do not yet have the skills to advocate for themselves.

  5. Who do you reach out to? • Community Members • Policy Makers • Press • Library Staff

  6. 1. Community members • Library patrons • Teens • Parents • Grandparents • Local business owners • Youth serving groups • Educators

  7. 1. Community • Hold a YA Open House • Participate in and have a library presence in local festivals, events & celebrations • Start or revive a “Friends of the Library” • Speak about your library at a non-library event (women’s club, bowling league, church group, historical society, etc.) • Use social tools to reach & engage people • Create multi-language library materials

  8. 2. Policymakers • Town Council • School Board • Mayor • Anyone with influence

  9. 2. Policy Makers • Add VIPs to the library’s newsletter mailing list • Make sure VIPs have library cards • Attend a meeting (Chamber of Commerce, School Board, Town Council, etc.) • Invite VIPs to library events • Send them photos or articles about recent library accomplishments • Attend an advocacy event like State or National Library Legislative Day

  10. 3. press • Newspaper • Radio • TV (incl. public access) • Bloggers • Local magazines

  11. 3. Press • Send them a calendar of library events • Write letters to the editor • Write press releases • Add them to the library’s newsletter mailing list • Invite them to attend library events • Send them photos of recent events • Send them public service announcements

  12. 4. Library staff • Trustees or Board • Director • Librarians • Support staff • Volunteers • Friends of the Library

  13. 4. Staff • Share information at a staff meeting • Post articles or photos in the staff lounge • Forward relevant items from e-newsletters • Share a brief weekly update with your supervisor (email, phone, face-to-face) • Create an online place for coworkers to share knowledge (wiki, intranet) • Hold a workshop or idea swap for coworkers

  14. Selected Resources • Advocacy Toolkit, www.ala.org/yalsa/advocacy • Being a Teen Library Services Advocate, Linda W. Braun • Powerful Public Relations: A How-To Guide for Libraries, by Rashelle Karp • yadvocacy-l@ala.org, http://lists.ala.org/wws/info/yadvocacy-l

  15. Continuing Education Resources • Stay current with developments in advocacy through YALSA’s webinars! • offered monthly on the third Thursday at 2pm EST, www.ala.org/yalsa/webinars • The ALA Washington Office periodically offers free advocacy webinars. Events are posted on District Dispatch, www.districtdispatch.org/

  16. Please contact YALSA if we can be of help YALSA 50 E. Huron St. Chicago, IL 60611 1.800.545.2433 x4390 yalsa@ala.org www.ala.org/yalsa (web site) http://yalsa.ala.org/blog/ (YALSAblog) http://wikis.ala.org/yalsa/index.php (wiki) @yalsa on Twitter

  17. Who is YALSA? • YALSA stands for the Young Adult Library Services Association • Has over 5,200 members who are school and public librarians, library workers, educators, grad students, retirees, library supporters and more! • Mission is to make libraries awesome for teens! • YALSA is a subspecialty of the American Library Association (ALA)

  18. Questions, comments, ideas to share?

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