Advocacy

To advocate: to plead in favor of;

defend in argument; support.

Why?

• Libraries are community assets

• We care about free access to information

• Libraries are a sound economic investment

• Budget cuts and funding shortages

Why?

• We care about intellectual freedom

• We believe in literacy

• We know that libraries are a legacy

• Libraries are critical for student achievement

Advocate For . . .

• Resources

• Staff & Volunteers

• Financial Support

• Community Support

Where?

• Local and State Government

• Local institutions of learning

• Local businesses

• Local and State Newspapers or Journals

How?

• Know the needs of your library & patrons

• Get organized, start a campaign, tell your story

• Keep up to date on local issues

• Build relationships in the community

How?

• Get involved in community politics

• Stay in contact with legislators - local & state

• The media

• Attend the ALA Advocacy Institute

When?

ALL THE TIME!!

Public Libraries

Key Issues:Public Libraries

• The libraries in Allegheny County circulated a total of 9,017,949 items in 2004 to ~1,281,220 people

• Their total operating budget was $48,117,115

• Their total income received was $50,621,353

Key Issues:Public Libraries

• At $16 per item - the citizens of Allegheny County would have had to pay $144,287,184 for the use of items which were circulated

• This figure is more than double the amount of total income received

Key Issues:Special Libraries

• Basic issues concerning special libraries may be similar to those in other libraries. Ex. Funding

• Other issues will be unique to the specific type of library.

• The basic methods of advocacy will remain the same, although it is always important to focus a particular campaign on the specific issue at hand.

Academic Libraries

The award-winning "Ask @ your library®" posters at American University sponsored by ACRL

Key Issues:Academic Libraries

• Funding, Funding, Funding

• Public Access to Research

• Net Neutrality

• US Patriot Act

• Recruitment of Professionals

School libraries

“In an age where the sheer volume of information threatens to drown us, the media specialist serves as guide, helping bring relevant resources to bear while weeding out extraneous information.”

- Beth Denham, Principal and John McDonald, Library Media Specialist

“The Dynamic Middle School Media Center.”

Indiana Principal Leadership Academy (IPLA)

Special Edition, February 2005

Key Issues:School Libraries

• Parents and students feel that school library media programs are important only for younger children (elementary school age).

• As students get older, computer use without a professional is perceived as the norm and professional guidance is not seen as necessary.

• Many parents and students do not view library media specialists as educated professionals.

-”Parent Power!” American Library

Association, American Association of School Librarians

(AASL)

Key Issues:School Libraries

• Evidence from seventeen state studies have proved that the number one indicator of student success was access to a school library, quality information resources, technology, and instruction in information literacy by a school library media specialist collaborating with classroom teachers. -School Library Systems Association of New York State

http://www.crbsls.org/slsa/

Key Issues: School Libraries

State funding for school libraries across California has been dropping for several years but has become practically nonexistent this academic year. In the 1999-2000 school year, the state paid $29.16 per student to supply libraries. That number has since dropped to just 41 cents per student this year and shows no sign of reversing course.

-Kathy Shirley, Coordinator of Technology and Media Services for the district, Escondido, CA

(Feb. 11, 2006)WWW.ALA.ORG

Key Issues:School Libraries

Nationally, the total local funding for school library media centers (not including salaries) for all elementary schools is $23.76 per student. Indiana elementary school library media centers average between $10.40 per student and $15.06 per student.

Indianapolis, Ind. (June 16, 2006)

WWW.ALA.ORG

Key Issues:School Libraries

• The superintendent of Federal Way Public Schools in May 2006 recommended eliminating 27 of 34 librarian jobs as part of a $4 million budget cut.

Federal Way, WA (May 10, 2006) WWW.ALA.ORG

Key Issues:School Libraries

• School librarians need to build relationships with the learning community inside the school – and outside of the school

Example: With the public library

Children's Servicesin Public Libraries

• Children’s Services in public libraries share many of the same issues as school libraries

Examples: Funding, Resources

Children's Servicesin Public Libraries

• Consider story time at the local library Benefits:

• Develops the brain• Develops emerging literacy skills• Increases the child’s ability to comprehend• Creates readers• These children are comfortable in a library

environment and want to come back-Margaret Redrup-

MayPaper Presented at neXt 2005:

Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) National Library &

information Technicians Conference

Children's Servicesin Public Libraries

• Children’s librarians in public libraries can collaborate with school libraries and businesses Example: North Carolina – In Mecklenburg County, the goal is for every child in K-5 to get a public library card.

Library card applications are sent to the teachers. Once completed, they are returned to the teachers.

Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County http://www.plcmc.org/programs/k-5campaign.htm

Children's Servicesin Public Libraries

• Advocacy, Public Relations, and Networking Skills are required competencies of children's librarians

• More information is available from the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) www.ala.org/alsc

Library Advocacy:General Resources

• American Library Association

• Pennsylvania Library Association

• OCLC

• Friends of the Library USA (FOLUSA)

• ACRL

Questions for Discussion

• What does a student need to obtain a college education? Do libraries and Librarians have a role?

• Can electronic access to information resources provide the equivalent to traditional campus-based materials?

• In what ways do you think advocacy differs for different kinds of libraries?

• Are there any other steps that can be taken to convince government and communities about the value of libraries?

Annotated Bibliography2005 Best Practices in Marketing Academic and Research Libraries @your library® Award Winners. Retrieved

September 30, 2006, from the ACRL website: http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/marketingyourlib/marketingwinners.htmThis website provides examples of the winning marketing campaign for academic libraries.

ACRL advocacy website. http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/issuesadvocacy.htmThis website contains links to timely information about advocating for academic libraries. This list includes, marketing your library, Recruitment, the future of academic libraries, effective practices, Washington watch and information literacy to name but a few. In depth articles taken from current periodicals outline information from the topics above. A great place to start for academic librarians.

Alire, Camila A., “Charting our future. Advocating to advance academic libraries: The 2005-06 ACRL President’s focus.” C&RL News, September 2005, Vol. 66, No. 8Camila Alise provides a perspective of an academic library dean and the challenges of advocacy. She outlines advocacy plans to gear up the people on the frontlines. She understands that “not all academic library staff should be advocates” while stressing the need for proper training and preparedness to achieve success.

American Library Association website. Retrieved September 13, 2006. www.ala.orgThe ALA website is a comprehensive site that includes information on many matters associated with libraries, such as education and careers, issues and advocacy, and news. Specific information about budget cuts and funding is included, along with Action Kits and Advocacy Toolkits.The ALA has eleven membership divisions and they have pages on the site. These include the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS), Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), Association for Library Trustees and Advocates (ALTA), Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA), Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA), Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), Public Library Association (PLA), and the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA).

Biagini, M.K. (2000). Advocacy School Library/Public Library Cooperation: It’s Everybody’s Business. Keynote Address presented at the Commonwealth Libraries School Public Librarians Conference, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, PA.Dr. Biagini’s presentation was updated in 2005 for inclusion in the course context of LIS 2774 School Library Media Center Management, Fall Term 2006 (2071). Dr. Biagini is currently an Associate Professor and Associate Dean of the School of Information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Biagini presents a “New ‘Advocacy’ Model” as “An adult-to-adult, systemic program in which school librarians and public librarians, working as partners, build advocacy relationships with decision-makers to provide the most effective resources and services in both school and public libraries for young people in a community.”

Annotated BibliographyHardesty, Larry. “Do we need academic libraries?” Association of College and Research

Libraries, December 1999; Revised January 6, 2000, Revised January 21, 2000.Hardesty asks the question, “Does a degree-granting institution of higher education need a physical library (and librarians) for accreditation?” and begs a further question, what does a college degree signify? In defense of academic libraries Hardesty tries to explain how a student without access to a variety of information at the direction of professionals is not adequate enough to allow someone to develop a sophistication of skills and abilities needed to be a lifelong learner.

Hisle, W. Lee. “Top issues facing academic libraries: a report of the Focus on the Future Task Force.” C&RL News, November 2002. Vol. 63 No. 10.Hisle discusses the top issues facing academic libraries including recruitment of professionals, funding, management of digital resources to name a few and introduces the a program that will hopefully report the findings of a task force to other professionals.

Illinois Library Association (2004). Overview: Library Advocacy. Retrieved September 27, 2006 from http://www.ila.org/advocacy/index.htm.The Illinois Library Association (ILA) strives to advocate for the public interest, promote excellence, and manage the present to prepare for the future. This organization provides online content, as well a printable pamphlet, addressing how to advocate an issue. The ILA provides specific tips on the actual process of advocacy, from framing the issue, to answering difficult questions, to staying in contact with legislators. It also provides information on various issues and current bills that would be of interest to librarians. The information provided is meant to prepare librarians to counter legislation that might constrain intellectual freedom. The “Library Advocacy” pamphlet provided at this website is especially useful. In addition to giving tips on how to contact a legislator and present an issue, it also gives examples of tough questions that may be asked and provides useful statistics that showcase the importance of libraries. Finally, it provides numerous links to additional information on library advocacy.

Lamb, A., Johnson, L. (December 2004). The School Library Media Specialist - Advocacy. Retrieved September 28, 2006. http://www.eduscapes.com/sms/advocacy.htmlThis website is part of a School Library Media Specialist program website at Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis. The site contains comprehensive information about school library advocacy and includes links to valuable resources such as the Position Statement on the Value of Library Media Programs in Education from the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and other pages on the ALA website. It includes definitions of advocacy, explains the elements of an advocacy program, details the value of collaboration, and provides a list of resources for additional information.

Annotated BibliographyKane M. (2006). Library Statistics. September 29, 2006, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania

Department of Education. (http://www.statelibrary.state.pa.us/libraries/cwp/view.asp?a=5&Q=37607)“The Office of Commonwealth Libraries, Bureau of Library Development compiles public library statistics from the Pennsylvania Public Libraries Annual Reports. These statistics are used to determine eligibility for State Aid to Public Libraries. In addition, these statistics represent Pennsylvania’s public libraries in the National Center for Education Statistics, Federal-State Cooperative System (FSCS) for public library data collection program.”

OCLC (2004). Advocacy. Retrieved September 27, 2006 from http://www.oclc.org/advocacy/default.htm.OCLC is best known for providing the WorldCat database. However, this organization also provides a large amount of information on various library-related topics. One of these topics is advocacy. OCLC is currently running several advocacy programs to promote public, academic, school, and special libraries. A specific program is set up for each of these types of libraries, including goals, helpful statistics, target audiences, tactics, and promotional ads. Customizable posters are also available online, for use by any library. The library name, logo, and pictures can be edited to make them specific for a particular institution. OCLC also provides information on why and how they’ve developed these programs. Their focus was to exemplify the importance of libraries in economic terms, for legislators, school boards, and other organizations that have an impact on library budgets. The statistics on the financial worth of libraries, along with the customizable ads, could be beneficial for any library.

School Libraries Work!, Scholastic Research Foundation Paper, 2006 Edition. Retrieved September 26, 2006.http://www.scholastic.com/librarians/printables/downloads/slw_2006.pdf#search=%22school%20libraries%20work%22This 24-page report includes position statements from various organizations. It highlights the results of the “Why Care About School Libraries?” study published in March 2005 by the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. More detailed results from a 2004 Ohio study and a 2005 Illinois study are also presented. The paper explains why school librarians are important, discusses the impact of school libraries and school library media specialists on student academic achievement, and details the elements of an effective school library. This report is informative, easy to read, and includes a comprehensive list of resources.

Valenza, J. (1997). Guerrilla librarianship hold the camouflage! Book Report, Jan/Feb97, Vol. 15 Issue 4. September 29, 2006, Academic Search Premier. (http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=9707086153&site=ehost-live)Joyce Valenza is the librarian at Wissahickon High School in Ambler, Pennsylvania. She has also published two books for librarian educators. Valenza compares librarians to guerrillas in their fight for recognition. She recommends the following ways to advocate for your library; informing the community through newsletters, becoming involved in sponsorship and volunteering, using a public relations approach to advocacy, and building a communication network with other libraries whether they are public or academic in nature.