This is Anthony Chow's presentation from the NCLA Leadership Institute

1. Library Advocacy
October 28, 2012
NCLA Leadership Institute

2. Overview
 The need for advocacy
 My library stories
 Advocacy for Organizational and Community Engagement
 Advocacy for Political Engagement
 Advocacy Checklist
 Advocacy Demonstration
 Plan and Go!
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3. Three stories
 The University Librarian and the Provost
 The State Senator and NC Advocates
 Libraries have databases Google does not?
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4. My library story
 Hot summer days – cool worlds of exploration
 Undergraduate days
 Graduate days
 As faculty
 As father
 As advocate
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5. Organizational and Community
Engagement
 Larue‟s Big Hairy Audacious Goal
 See his blog
 Why support the library?
 Use and Demographics has Nothing to Do with Support
 Three reasons why people give money to the library:
 A story of transformation
 People believe the library is public good
 A love for their librarian
 The Four Messages that work:
 Libraries Change Lives
 Libraries Mean Business
 Libraries Build Communities
5  Libraries are a Smart Investment
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6. Organizational and Community
Engagement (2)
 Replace negative views
with positive views
 Deconstructing the
library positive talk
 Find the most
charismatic people in
your community
 Talk to your existing
community organizations
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 Recruiting speakers
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 Using social media

7. Advocacy for Political Engagement
 Steps (preliminary)
 Make contact with your senators and members of congress and
state assembly, local commissioners
 Invite for visit and photo op (media photo and press release)
 Share you library stories
 Follow up - Thanks and library needs your help
 Rally your staff!
 Contact EVERYONE
 Customers (w/signage at public computers)
 Friends
 Messages “everywhere”
 Local library board
7  County commissioners
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8. Advocacy for Political Engagement (2)
 Prepare stories for Legislative Day (see Larue)
 Invite key friends and trustees with you (they need to do
the talking not librarians)
 Send THE message:
 You have received a free trip to Raleigh (respond to ASAP)
 Brief them on the way up (bus, van, carpools).
 Be sure to take notes and photos/video of visitors and
groups
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9. Advocacy for Political Engagement (3)
 LEGISLATING!
 Formatting your message
 Something other than regular paper
 Technology is in
 FORMAT has to be ATTRACTIVE
 Door hangers, bookmarks, print labels on bright paper
 SCHMOOZE TIME!!
 Respect the legislative assistant (they need to feel important too)
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10. The Systems View
“Success is a product of doing the right things the right
way.”
Are we/they taking libraries for granted?
 Macro (outside of your walls)
 Micro (inside of your walls)
 Process (what processes do you have in place for
institutionalized, systematic advocacy?)
10 Are our own state library advocacy efforts consistent?
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11. Advocacy Checklist
 Take a look - This is an outline of an advocacy binder we
will create and distribute
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12. Advocacy Demonstration
 “Libraries are not well marketed to the „Haves‟ without
children”
 Need to build a “community” of advocates around each
politician
 Need two politicians
 A concerned community member
 A grandchild
 A visit to the library (2 people)
 An email
 A phone call
 A visit from a library spokesperson
12  A visit on legislative day
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13. Final Thoughts and Q&A
 Strategically advocate for your library
 Use the checklist
 Allocate a committee and resources
 Institutionalize it so it is pervasive
 NC Library Advocacy Website
(http://nclibraryadvocacy.wordpress.com/)
 NC Library Advocacy Facebook
 NC Library Advocacy Twitter
 Library Stories
 Larue Video
13  Thank You!
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