The document discusses strategies for building voter support for libraries. It notes that librarians are the "accidental candidates" who must advocate for local funding on Election Day. While 70-99% of library funding comes from local taxes, libraries are hesitant to engage directly in political advocacy as government entities. The document outlines challenges libraries face and strategies used by EveryLibrary, a 501c4, to provide information, consulting, and rapid response support to help libraries pass funding measures through grassroots voter engagement and emphasizing how libraries transform communities. The key is activating the 37% of voters who strongly support libraries by highlighting the passionate work of librarians.

1. The Accidental Candidate
What Directors Can Learn from the
Front Line of Library Advocacy
Building voter support for libraries

2. The Fight for Local
Funding
What EveryLibrary Has Learned….

3. Librarians (you) are the candidate

4. The Haycock Rule
People don’t do things for you
because they like you, they do
things for you because they
believe that you like them.

5. Library Funding Landscape
● 70% - 99% revenue from zipcode level
o Taxes are the bulk of the funding
o Local charity adds capacity
● Program / Collections / Services Grants
● Capital campaigns
● Small donors

6. Library Funding Landscape
● 30% --> 1% funded from another source
o State funding
o Federal funding
o Grantmaking organizations
Building voter support for libraries

7. EveryLibrary
364 Day Advocacy
Voter Engagement on Election Day

8. Library Advocacy Ecosystem
o Local - Trustees, Staff, Friends/Foundation
o Systems and Coops
o State Libraries and Associations
o National Library Associations
o Foundations and Nonprofits

9. Library Taxes
Libraries run on taxes.
Property tax, Sales tax, Use tax, or special
fees.
1. “Regular Order”
2. Election Day
Building voter support for libraries

10. Library Advocacy Ecosystem
● 70% - 99% funded at zipcode level
o Local - Trustees, Staff, Friends/Foundation
o Systems and Coops
o State Libraries and Associations
o Regional and National Associations
o National Foundations and Nonprofits

11. Election Day Challenges
● Libraries as units of government
● Friends and library foundations
● State Libraries and Systems/Coops
Building voter support for libraries

12. Challenges
● Libraries as units of government
o Self-ID as “Neutral”
o Perception as “Non-Political”
o Legit Prohibitions on Speech
● Friends and library foundations
● State Libraries and Systems/Coops
Building voter support for libraries

13. Challenges
● Libraries as units of government
● Friends and library foundations
o Set up to fundraise and socialize
o Long term funding partners
● State Libraries and Systems/Coops
Building voter support for libraries

14. Challenges
● Libraries as units of government
● Friends and library foundations
● State Libraries and Systems/Coops
o Focus on education and training
o Tool Kits and TtT
Building voter support for libraries

15. EveryLibrary Insights
What are we seeing...

16. Building voter support for libraries
Why Libraries Lose
● The day of the vote is the first time enough people see
the Plan
● Any tax is a bad tax
● Mistrust of management or governance
● Zero-Sum Games / Anti Access

17. Who Opposes Libraries?
● Anti Taxes
● Against the Staff or Leadership
● Community “Zero Sum”
● Anti-Access
1. Small and leaderless?
2. Organizized but Unsupported
3. National Action
Building voter support for libraries

18. Anti Tax
● Is there a strong anti-tax group in the area?
● Is there a vocal opposition to tax measures?
● Is there organization against “waste”?
● Were there previous initiatives that failed?
● Are there comments on online media or blogs in opposition?
“The Library Tax is a Different Tax”
Building voter support for libraries

19. Against the Staff or Leadership
● Is there a self-appointed watchdog group / individual?
● Is there local outcry against the library staff or government employees?
● Does the community look unfavorably on the library leadership?
● Does the local political body support the board and staff?
“Open, transparent, and consultative process to get here.”
Building voter support for libraries

20. Community “Zero Sum”
● Why did previous initiatives for schools, police, fire, parks, or libraries fail?
● Is the opposition personal?
● Is the community changing rapidly - demographics or income?
“We want the library to be the at the center and this plan does that.”
Building voter support for libraries

21. Anti-Access
● Porn and children’s safety
● Materials challenges
● People use the Internet / the Library for “illegitimate” reasons
● Who is the “Them” in your community?
Building voter support for libraries

22. What Activates Voters
#1 - Nothing Impacts Voter Behavior More than their
Perception of the Librarian and the Library as Institution.
#2 - Awareness that there is a Measure
on the ballot.
Building voter support for libraries

23. What Activates Voters
If that is right, then we have a noun problem….
Building voter support for libraries

24. Library

25. The Library as…
● Educational Partner
● Economic Development Engine
● Social Leveler
● Place of Discovery
● Personal Refuge
Voters see the library as a
“Transformative Force”
Building voter support for libraries
#everylibrary

26. Voter also want to see the
“Passionate Librarian” at work
I am the Librarian who….
… find a job
… learned to read
… connected with family
… new skill/artistic expression/moment of discovery
Building voter support for libraries

27. Addressing the Challenges
Partial Fix: Build a 501c4 within the political action
committee rubric.
❖ Structure - raise and expend political money for
lobbying purposes
❖ Purview - local funding and library authority
❖ Attitude - political Action committee

28. EveryLibrary Vision
“Any library ballot measure anywhere matters
to every library everywhere”
Building voter support for libraries

29. EveryLibrary Mission
“Building Voter Support for Libraries”
Building voter support for libraries

30. EveryLibrary Structure
o Built as national 501c4
o Donor supported
o Do not support candidates for any level of office
o Focused on local library ballot measures like bonds,
levies, millages, parcel taxes, warrant articles, and
other referendum

31. EveryLibrary Work
Information Only Training and Coaching
Vote YES Consulting and Advising
Rapid Response
Building voter support for libraries

32. EveryLibrary Record
2013 - 7 campaigns, won 5
2104 - 21 campaigns; 8 still to go in November
$40 Million in stable tax revenue to date
ROI - $1 : $3,300
Building voter support for libraries

33. EveryLibrary Operations
Data-driven focus on voters
● “From Awareness to Funding”
● PEW, ALA, etc
● Political Sciences
● Campaign Best Practices
Building voter support for libraries

34. Voter Data That Frames
Our Discussion
“From Awareness to Funding” Says….

35. National Voter Attitudes
37% will Definitely vote yes for the library
37% will Probably vote yes for the library
26% will Probably or Definitely vote no or
may vote either way.
Building voter support for libraries

36. Library Use Does Not Matter
The research revealed an important distinction between the public library user
and the public library funder. Not every library user is a library funder; not every
library funder is a library user. A voter’s willingness to support increased
library funding is not driven, or limited, by library use. In fact, the advocacy
research found that there is little correlation between frequency of library visits
and willingness to increase funding for libraries.
- OCLC "From Awareness to Funding" p. 7-2
Building voter support for libraries

37. Library as Transformative Force
For the target supporters, the 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

38. Attitude - Not Demographics
A crucial and somewhat unexpected finding from the segmentation analysis
was that demographics and lifestage were not important constructs in the
library supporter segmentation. In fact, demographics are irrelevant to library
funding support. 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, not their age, gender, education
level or household income. Library funding support is an attitude, not a
demographic.
- OCLC "From Awareness to Funding" p. 7-3

39. Probable and Super Supporters
They recognize the value of a ‘passionate librarian’ as a true advocate for
lifelong learning.
- OCLC "From Awareness to Funding" p7-4
Building voter support for libraries

40. What Activates Voters?
Seven Factors:
➔ A Reason to Vote
➔ Mobilized
➔ Personal Contact with Candidate or Issue*
➔ Culture/Tradition/Habit of Voting*
➔ Trust in Government
➔ Decided to Vote
➔ Weather/Access to Polls Building voter support for libraries

41. What Activates Voters for the
Library?
#1 - Nothing Impacts Voter Behavior More than their
Perception of the Librarian and the Library as Institution.
#2 - Awareness that there is a Measure
on the ballot.
Building voter support for libraries

42. What Activates Voters for the
Library?
The Librarian is the “Candidate”
The Library is the “Incumbent”
Building voter support for libraries

43. EveryLibrary Engagement
Campaigning to Win

44. Information Only Campaign
● We have a responsibility - in the public trust - to talk
about the plan for the library.
● Plan “A” and Plan “B”
● Public Employees on Public Time or
Representatives of the organization acting in an
official capacity.
Building voter support for libraries

45. Information Only Campaign
➢ Official Plans
➢ Staff/Trustee Training and Coaching
➢ Media Outreach
➢ Coalition Building
➢ Engaging Watchdogs
➢ Stakeholder Engagement
➢ Messaging Environment
Building voter support for libraries

46. Vote Yes Committee
● Not the Library
● Not the Friends
● Not Governance
Dedicated to helping Get Out the Vote (GOTV) for the
library measure - as citizens, neighbors, and
stakeholders - with a defined role for the campaign
season.
Building voter support for libraries

47. Vote YES Campaign
➢ Technical Assistance
➢ Campaign Team
➢ Messaging
➢ Fundraising and Direct Funding
➢ Opposition Engagement
➢ GOTV - Volunteers
➢ Communications
Building voter support for libraries

48. John Chrastka and Patrick Sweeney
www.everylibrary.org
facebook/everylibrary
@everylibrary
john.chrastka@everylibrary.org
patrick.sweeney@everylibrary.org
Building voter support for libraries
Thank You