What is advocacy?
Advocacy is speaking out and supporting issues that are important to you. It includes offering your opinions and suggestions for how to improve something to the people who are in control. Library advocates believe in the importance of free and equitable access to information in a democratic society. Library advocates believe libraries and librarians are vital to the future of an information literate nation. Library advocates speak out for libraries.
Whose job is advocacy?
The job of advocacy for libraries is yours if you:
- Use the library for your own information, entertainment, technology needs.
- Encourage your family and friends to use their libraries.
- Believe no one should be denied access to information they need because they cannot afford to buy it.
- Believe that free access to information is vital so people are informed about decisions they make.
- Know that libraries are an important partner in teaching literacy of all types—reading, understanding how to find & use information, technology use…-to children and adults.
- Care about intellectual freedom and how the library provides free & equal access to information to all in their community.
- Care about libraries because they are great democratic institutions that serve people of every age, income level, location, ethnicity, or physical ability, and provide the full range of information resources needed to live, learn, govern, and work. Because libraries bring free access to all, they also bring opportunity to all.
Who can be a library advocate?
Everyone who cares about Minnesota's libraries!
Library advocates come from all parts of the community. Here are some likely advocates:
- Library trustees & Board members
- Friends of libraries
- Library users (Stakeholders)
- College students, faculty, administrators
- K12 students, teachers, adminstrators, School Board members
- Prek students, parents of students, teachers...
- Business owners
- Government officials
- Community leaders
- Educational Leaders
- Librarians and library staff
- Library and Information Science students
Who are your Potential advocates?
Every library has supporters who may not belong to a library support group or even use the library. But they may have fond memories of using the library as children, have family members who benefit from library use or simply believe libraries are important. Some may be highly placed in their institutions or communities. These potential advocates are often glad to speak out if asked.
Why advocate for libraries?
Library advocates play a key role in educating our communities about why libraries and librarians are essential in an information society. While the MEMO and MLA are well-represented by a professional lobbyist, the voices heard from around Minnesota make the difference in the success or failure of legislation.
Library advocacy is vital in these times for a variety of reasons.
- Public libraries are an integral part of community life. School and academic libraries are very important resources in their larger organizations and to their constituents. Special libraries preserve unique collections reflecting our national heritage.
- Information resources and the need for lifelong learning are increasingly important for each individual in a community.
- Libraries face costly technological changes to keep pace with community needs.
- Libraries compete with other departments of local government to meet increased community needs with shrinking and/or always limited funding.
- Without strong grassroots advocates to speak up, libraries can be lost in the shuffle of democracy’s many voices, and be taken for granted.
Libraries need advocates to “tell the story”—how has using a library—any library—changed their lives. Did they find a job using library resources? Were their students engaged in research using ELM databases? Did a child discover the joy of reading at the library? Did their business benefit from library resources? We know people love the library; we need to say why they love the library and how libraries have improved their lives.
We can’t assume libraries will always be there or that the “love” will translate to funding. We all know funds are tight, and many different groups are asking for pieces of the same financial pie.
We need to let those in charge—state legislators, county commissioners, school superintendents, academic administrations, and others—that we want them to stand up for libraries when it comes time to fund the buildings, staff, and services that make libraries the vibrant, community-centered places we want them to remain.That’s why we need to advocate and collect and tell our stories about how we have helped students, small business, community leaders, and others.
By giving our legislators specific examples of how libraries have made a significant difference in the lives of their constituents, we help others to see what library lovers already know—that even in this era of wireless Internet access, communities—schools, towns, counties, colleges, whatever community is—need libraries.
How do I become an advocate for libraries?
There are many ways to become a library advocate. Here are some suggestions:
- If you are not already a member, join the Minnesota Library Association (MLA) or Minnesota Educational Media Organization (MEMO). There is strength in numbers and your voice, when joined with others, makes us all a more powerful force in St. Paul. MLA members receive a regular “EBlast” update on Legislative Committee activities.
- Attend the monthly MLA/MEMO Legislative Committee Meeting. It is from 10am-noon, the first Wednesday of the month. You can attend online or in St. Paul (Metronet/MELSA Conference room, 1619 Dayton Ave. Ste. 320, St. Paul 55104). Everyone is welcome! Register using appropriate link. http://mnlibraryassociation.org/committees-subunits/legislative-committee/
- Read and familiarize yourself with the MLA/MEMO Legislative Platform and Talking Points. http://mnlibraryassociation.org/committees-subunits/legislative-committee/
- Regularly check MLA's Legislative Updates webpage to stay up to date on legislative issues. The MLA/MEMO lobbyist regularly post legislative updates and alerts throughout the year.
- Follow MLA on Twitter and/or Facebook for updates.
- Get to know your elected officials. Invite them to library events and add them to your mailing list. Regular communication with key officials and their staff is important year-round. Legislators who know and understand the value of libraries in their community are powerful friends at the Capitol.
- Communicate with your elected officials. Letters, emails, phone calls are all effective ways to let your officials know that you value what libraries and librarians do for their communities.
- Participate in organized legislative events. Library Legislative Day in St. Paul is an opportunity to visit your legislator in person. This is a powerful tool for communicating your concerns.
What do I say?
It is a good idea to have a short “speech” (elevator speech) ready when you meet with a legislator or other official. An elevator speech is an overview of your service and is designed to just get a conversation started. Here are some hints on preparing your elevator speech:
- Keep it short—around 200 to 250 words
- Have a hook, e.g. an interesting statistic that you can compare to something easy to understand
- Make it clear – no acronyms or jargon
- Be sure it is credible – how can you add value?
- Practice so you remember it
Here is an elevator speech that supports Minnesota libraries and the library systems that provide infrastructure to libraries of all types:
- Minnesotans rely on their local libraries--school, public, academic, or special--for information, Internet access, entertainment, job searching, technology training, and many other things.
- Local libraries rely on regional public library systems, multicounty multitype library systems, and Minitex systems to support what their local users need--resource sharing, backup reference, delivery, training, resource purchasing, and other services. This infrastructure provides efficient, cost-effective support that lets local libraries focus on and maintain local services.
- All the parts of the library network need to be strong to continue to provide Minnesotans with the information they need to work, to play, to advance, and learn.
You can customize your speech to fit your situation. For example, here is an elevator speech that supports Maintenance of Effort for public libraries:
Here is an elevator speech that supports ELM, Electronic Library for Minnesota:
Here are some other issues you may wish to address:
Do I need to advocate? Don't we have a paid lobbyist?
Indeed we do. MEMO, MLA, the regional public library systems, and the multicounty multitype library systems share the expenses for our lobbyist. She does an excellent job of keeping the library community informed about what legislative activity that might affect libraries, works with legislative staff to drafts bills, finds legislators to co-author & introduce bills, and generally represent us at the Capitol. However, she cannot tell the stories you can tell from firsthand experience with library users and libraries have helped them learn, grow, and change. That is your job, with the help of others who use your library.Library Advocacy?
It’s Everybody’s Job!
Every Voice Makes a Difference.
