Home → For Libraries → Advocacy
Advocacy and Community Relations
Effective Advocacy is Local
Results of recent surveys conducted by the State Library show that advocacy is one of the services that librarians want the State Library to provide. This is one of the State Library's responsibilities. However, much of the advocacy literature points out that the most effective advocacy efforts are local.
Advocacy is:
- leaving the comfort of the library’s walls and getting out into the community
- establishing relationships with the decision makers and citizens
- speaking one message that the library matters to the community
- writing letters to your representatives or the board of selectmen in your town
- attending hearings or sessions that are of crucial importance to libraries
Advocacy Tools from the State Library
- Library Use Value Calculator
- Value of MSL Services Calculator: What would be the impact on your library's budget if the Maine State Library didn't provide, subsidize or negotiate for some of the services libraries and their patrons use every day?
- How People Should Approach their Representatives and Senators by Beth Edmonds
- MARVEL Cost Savings [Word, 80 KB]; [PDF version of MARVEL cost savings, 82 KB]
- Statistics from the Annual Report - See tips on how to use these numbers.
- Snapshot 2010 Publication
- 20 Ways to Make Snapshot Day a Success @ Your Library [PDF, 26 KB; Word, 26 KB]
- Use Results to Establish Relationships with Policy Makers [Word, 27 KB]
- Library stories - Collect, read, use these stories to tell the library story
- Bookmark: "Maine’s Libraries are good for the ECONOMY"
- Economy.pdf, [PDF, 97 KB]; Economy.doc, [Word, 72 KB]
- Testimony before Joint Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs and Joint Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs
- Try this tip! Libraries can figure out how much it costs per household per month to fund them. For example if Library A receives $8,000 annually and there are 200 households in town, it costs $3.33 per month per household to support the library.Compare that with the cost of Internet, telephone, cable, heat, electric or any other monthly billing item.
Just Off the Press Resources and Ready to Use!
Resources Available to Support Advocacy Efforts from Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study
- Topic Handouts (color graphics comparing your state vs. national, using new 2010-2011 study data)
- Public Libraries & Employment
- Public Libraries & E-Government
- Press Release template (marked “New”)
- Op-Ed template (marked “New”)
- *Coming Soon* State Profiles (PDF) : Selected 2010-2011 study data comparing national and state levels (e.g., speed of connectivity, average # of workstations) as well as other state-level resources. *ETA, March 1*
Courses and webinars
- How One Advocacy Action Per Month Can Change the World [webinar archive]
- The One Thing That ALWAYS Works in Getting Policymakers to Listen [video] - ALA Washington [webinar archive]
- WebJunction Maine: The Maine State Library sponsors these free WebJunction courses for the professional development of Maine library staff who register with WebJunction Maine. A combination of free and low cost ($10-$50) courses designed for librarians.
More Helpful Resources
Maximize the Potential of Your Public Library: "Learn how public libraries can help local governments tackle critical community priorities such as economic development, public safety, environmental sustainability, cultural diversity, education, and literacy."
American Library Association
American Library Association resources, courses and tools to help library advocates make the case at the local level.
- Frontline Advocacy Toolkit: Libraries: The Heart of All Communities: This toolkit is designed to motivate, encourage, provide content, train, and educate librarians and library workers at the front lines in advocating for their libraries and their profession.
- Advocating in a Tough Economy Toolkit: This toolkit contains resources and tools, including newsclips, op-eds and statistics to help library supporters make the case for libraries in tough economic times.
- Budget in the Crosshairs? Navigating a Challenging Budget Year: This guide will help you prepare and plan for your library's survival and growth during tough economic times.
- Add It Up: Libraries Make the Difference in Youth Development and Education: Research and statistics to help advocates make the case for libraries at every stage of youth development and education.
- Coalition Building: Best practices of successful library coalition building from around the country.
- Making Budget Presentations: Tools, examples and perspectives to make presenting a library budget easier, and to help make your budget presentations more compelling.
- 2008 ALA online Library Advocates Handbook
WebJunction
Instead of using the word, "Advocacy" WebJunction uses "community relations"- a page full of resources under three headings:
- Communicate the library's value
- Connect with stakeholders - see "Be There, Be Visible, Be in the Know: First step to building community partnerships - Get your library a place at the community table
- Promote lifelong learning @ the library
