Storytelling for Library Support

1. Building voter support for libraries Storytelling for Library Support Presented for the Mississippi Library Commission by John Chrastka, EveryLibrary @mrchrastka | @everylibrary

2. What New Funding Do You Need? It is the big question to keep in mind for this discussion... Building voter support for libraries

3. How Stories Affect Your Brain, Pull on Your Heart, and Hit You in the Gut

4. We tend to tell the wrong kind of stories....

5. About EveryLibrary • First Nationwide PAC for Libraries • 63 Campaigns and 46 Win • $220+ million in stable tax funding • 18 State School Associations and ESSA • Donor funded = Pro-Bono support for libraries

7. Numbers do tell the story, but it isn’t the whole story….

8. “Why” a PAC for Libraries? No one else was talking to voters and constituents as decision makers…. Most marketing – when there is marketing – is about ‘use’. When 90% of funding for libraries is raised in the local zipcode, 90% of your advocacy needs to focus on those voters and constituents Building voter support for libraries

9. EveryLibrary’s “Value System” Mission - “Building Voter Support for Libraries” Vision - “Any library funding issue anywhere should matter to every library everywhere” Values - ‘Political’ and ‘Action’ and ‘Committee’

10. With That in Mind... • Designing communications with different “library-listening” styles in mind • Creating messages that aren’t about using the library • Talking about Plan B as well as Plan A • Talking to different political worldviews than your own • Identifying stories that you’d actually want to tell • Link to a bibliography and further reading at the end…. Session Outcomes

11. What Voters Believe Influences How They Listen “From Awareness to Funding” says… @everylibrary Building voter support for libraries

12. Single Biggest Takeaway... A voter’s willingness to support increased library funding is not driven, or limited, by library use. - OCLC "From Awareness to Funding" p. 7-2 Building voter support for libraries

13. Regarding Libraries, there are 2 distinct groups of humans….

14. Know Your Audience To Library Users: “As you know...” To Non-Users: “As you can imagine...” Building voter support for libraries

15. Four Kinds of Stories • Personal/Organizational stories about successes that emphasize values. • Personal/Organizational stories of failures that demonstrate integrity. • Stories about other people who are important to you. • Stories about what “why you do what you do”.

16. Voter Attitudes about Libraries 37% will Definitely vote yes for the library 37% May vote yes for the library 26% will Probably or Definitely vote no or may vote either way. - “From Awareness to Funding” OCLC 2008

17. Voter Attitudes about Libraries They are “Believers” in the library and librarians They are “Questioners” who will listen to an answer. Library is not a central issue for them, but they are community-minded and can ‘map’ library and librarians to their issue. Their world view is generally or specifically against taxes. “Leverage” is a key driver of any success with them.

18. Believers Believe [T]he library is not perceived as just a provider of practical answers and information; the most committed supporters hold the belief that the library is a transformational force. - OCLC "From Awareness to Funding" p. 7-4 Building voter support for libraries

19. Questioners Want Answers The factors that determine residents’ willingness to increase their taxes to support their local library are their perceptions and attitudes about the library and the librarian. - OCLC "From Awareness to Funding" p. 7-3 Building voter support for libraries

20. Perception of the Librarian(s) [Voters] recognize the value of a ‘passionate librarian’ as a true advocate for lifelong learning. - OCLC "From Awareness to Funding" p. 7-4 Building voter support for libraries

21. What Activates Voters for a Library Measure? The Librarian is the Candidate The Library is the Incumbent Library = Librarians + Community @everylibrary

22. How Voters Relate to Candidates • Does the candidate share the values that matter most to me (voter), and do they care about people like me? (Shared Values) • Can I trust the candidate to represent me faithfully? (Shared Identity) • Does the candidate have the personal qualities that lead me to believe that they will do right by my values and interests? (Personal Characteristics) • If there is an issue I care about, what is the candidate’s stand on it and can I trust them to think about it and make a decision which I would probably make if I had all the information they’ll have? (Predictability) -The Political Brain, p. 140

23. How Voters Relate to Candidates Voters relate to and support candidates because of Shared Values (do they care about people like me) and Shared Identity (trust that the candidate is representing my concerns), combined with Personal Characteristics (the candidate’s qualities as a person) and a level of Predictability about how their values are expressed through policy positions. Building voter support for libraries

24. How Do We Talk About Our Funding? Messages that aren’t about getting people to use the library Building voter support for libraries

25. What Do You Need to Get Funded? • It is really hard for humans to care about statistics and input / outputs • Hours • Collections and circ stats • Size of staff • Patrons at programs • Library cards in the community

26. *What is Your Book? Strategic Plan Management Plan Budget Book Fundraising Goals Financials and Fiduciary Building voter support for libraries

27. Lessons from the campaign trail

28. What Do You Need to Get Funded? What is your organizational “mission, vision and values”? What are your “expected and hoped-for outcomes” if funded? Why are you fundable? Not recruiting new users but talking to funders, donors, voters and constituents about other people.

29. Talk about Plan B and not just Plan A Plan A = What happens to people if it is Funded Plan B = What happens to people if it is Not Funded Where is my money going? Who is spending my money?

30. Turning the Story to the Values You Share • Hours • Place of discovery or refuge, retail anchor • Collections and circ stats • Solving problems for parents, small businesses • Size of staff • Expert librarians solving problems, helping people grow • Patrons at programs • Lives touched, changed, improved • Library cards in the community • Access and identity

31. Meet the Candidate Perceptions and Attitudes about Librarians

32. “Perception of the Librarian” Nothing Impacts Voter Behavior More than Their Perception of the Librarian and the Library as Institution. @everylibrary Building voter support for libraries

33. What is Your Personal Why? Your values about library work? Your vision for your community? Why you do this work? What happens if you don’t?

34. Staff Day Homework: • Why do you work in a library? • What are your personal values about librarianship? • How is your work an expression of those values? • What problems do you enjoy trying to solve for the community? • What problems do you enjoy trying to solve for individual patrons? Building voter support for libraries

35. Here is why I asked these questions: Building voter support for libraries

36. Talking about Taxes to Conservatives, Progressives and Libertarians Especially when you aren’t one yourself

37. Different political world views don’t always mean different values. Current controversies cloud good discussions. Where does common ground come from? Cartoon by 2017 EveryLibrary Artist in Residence Kevin Moore

38. Political Communication Models Kling, Arnold. The Three Languages of Politics: Talking Across the Political Divides.

39. Political Communication Models Kling, Arnold. The Three Languages of Politics: Talking Across the Political Divides. Building voter support for libraries

40. Going “Fine Free” as an Example Three Axes of Political Communications

42. Three Models in Practice (P) Fines are an inequitable barrier of service that hits hardest those among us who can afford it least. (L) Families who could not afford to use the library come back – when these kids acquire vocabulary and build literacy skills, it makes it more likely that they will be better prepared for the job market, have more choice in their careers, and make it less likely that they will be incarcerated, or be consumers of government assistance such as food stamps or welfare. (C) And we will hold people responsible… If they don’t return the books, they will be billed. • Peter Bromberg, Director, Salt Lake City Public Library; EveryLibrary Board Member

43. The Story That Needs to Be Told I did this. We need that.

44. “The Passionate Librarian” We are the Librarians who…. … find a job … learn to read … connect with family Let me tell you about my librarians…. Building voter support for libraries

45. Telling Better Library and Librarian Stories Bibliography and Links at: http://everylibrary.org/storytellingforlibrarysupport

46. One Million Americans for Libraries campaign facebook.com/everylibrary

47. Thank You John Chrastka, EveryLibrary john.chrastka@everylibrary.org312-574-0316 EveryLibrary.org | action.everylibrary.org | SaveSchoolLibrarians.org facebook.com/everylibrary@everylibrary