Category Archives: Library Funding

“Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive” for advocacy success

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Today’s advocacy tip comes courtesy of Johnny Mercer (lyrics) and Harold Arlen (music), and presented here by Aretha Franklin:

You’ve got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don’t mess with Mister In-Between

You’ve got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium’s
Liable to walk upon the scene

To illustrate my last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they do just when everything looked so dark?

Man, they said “We’d better accentuate the positive”
“Eliminate the negative” “And latch on to the affirmative”
Don’t mess with Mister In-Between (No!)
Don’t mess with Mister In-Between

This viewpoint, along with “accentuate the innovative,” was the advisory committee’s recommendation as the platform for the new ALA issues brief: U.S. Public Libraries Weather the Storm. After the deluge of the Perfect Storm, many library advocates recognized that with thousands of other entities pursuing funding in this Era of Austerity, a positive and data-driven strategy was going to help drive libraries to the front of the pack.

Need more than a song to energize your advocacy? Join us on October 18 for “Driving Advocacy with Data,” a free webinar sponsored by the ALA Committee on Library Advocacy and the Office for Research & Statistics. Webinar attendees will learn how to interpret the latest data and emerging trends from the 2012 Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study (PLFTAS); access new advocacy and marketing tools including state profiles, issue briefs, and PR templates; and use the data to make the case for your library with elected officials and community stakeholders.

Dr. John Carlo Bertot, co-director of the Information Policy & Access Center at the University of Maryland will lead the tour of the PLFTAS study results. Charlie Parker, executive director of the Tampa Bay Library Consortium, will share examples of Florida library advocacy and how they keep it positive and on target.

2012 Study highlights provision of innovative technology despite budget cuts

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With the release of the 2011-2012 Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study, libraries have access to current national and state data and supporting anecdotal evidence that can help library staff and trustees advocate for support for technology infrastructure and resources.

The new report highlights how strategic vision and careful management have helped U.S. public libraries weather the storm of the Great Recession, supporting their role as a lifeline to the technology resources and training essential to social inclusion and full participation in the nation’s economy. However, the report underscores the competing concerns that face America’s libraries: cumulative budget cuts which threaten access to libraries and services, increasing demand for technology training and the chronic presence of the digital divide.

 Key findings include:

  • 62% of public libraries report that they are the only source of free public access to computers and the Internet in their communities, with an increase to 70% in rural communities.
  • For FY2012, 57 percent of libraries report flat or decreased operating budgets, while at the same time, 60 percent of libraries report increased use of public Internet computers.
  • 76% of libraries offer access to e-books, an increase of 9% from last year.
  • 39% percent of libraries provide e-readers for check-out by patrons.
  • 91% of public libraries provide free Wi-Fi, and 74% of libraries report use of Wi-Fi increased in 2011
  • For the third year in a row, 40% of state libraries report decreased state funding for public libraries.
  • 65% of libraries report having an insufficient number of public computers to meet demand, this increases to 87% in urban libraries.

More key findings are outlined in the Executive Summary, the key findings handout, and this infographic:

 We hope you’ll take the time to look through the full report, which includes state-by-state analysis on public library technology resources, and an illuminating qualitative component from interviews with library directors and staff in Georgia and Idaho.

 Over the new few weeks we’ll highlight different sections of the report, as well as introduce you to the resources we’ve developed to help you use the PLFTAS data to advocate for your own library.

 Thank you to the staff at the 7,252 public libraries that completed this year’s survey. The time you took to provide the data in this report offers valuable information for national, state, and local policymakers, library advocates, researchers, practitioners, government and private funding organizations, and others to understand the impact, issues, and needs of libraries providing public access computing.

Score 1 (or more) for the Digital Divide and 0 for Florida public libraries

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We have discussed the digital divide implications between rural and urban/suburban settings noting how rural public libraries struggle to provide adequate broadband and information technology (IT) support. The Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study (PLFTAS) data demonstrate this struggle. Recent events in Florida suggest that strategies to reduce the rural digital divide – or at least the role that libraries can play in reducing that divide – will remain difficult.

Some background is in order. Last week Governor Rick Scott vetoed $1.5 million that would support multi-type library cooperatives (MLC) covering different regions in the state. Due to the recession, many public libraries in Florida have had budget cuts of 30-40 percent And over recent years, State Aid to libraries has been reduced significantly to the minimum amount that allows the State to qualify for Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Grants to State Library Administrative Agencies.

While the $1.5 million veto may not sound like much money, the pain likely will be felt disproportionately in rural areas since many of the rural libraries depend on their MLC for a range of IT access, training, and support. As part of this blog, I interviewed a number of Florida public librarians for their assessment of the veto on the digital divide in Florida.

One person commented that the veto was an “insult to injury” given previous cuts and listed a range of IT services, staff, training, and support that likely would be reduced in her rural library. Another thought that the support they had been receiving from their MLC “made the difference” between mediocre and above average IT services. Yet another noted that maintaining high-speed broadband and support services may now become a “luxury.” Still another noted that probably 97% of all the training her library staff received came from her MLC. Other stories and testimonials abound.

We have all read the various strategies and heard the exhortations about how libraries can reduce the digital divide, provide public access to a range of broadband and IT services, offer a range of IT and broadband training, work/collaborate with other community organizations and residents, etc. While these strategies are great ones, at the end of the day, resources (i.e., money) are needed to make these services happen.

Data related to the 2010-2011 PLFTAS on the urban-rural digital divide will be updated in the soon-to-be-released 2011-2012 PLFTAS. These will be most interesting in terms of trends and the degree to which this digital divide between rural vs. urban/suburban is being reduced, or not. But since the data were collected in the fall of 2011, the impact of Governor’s Scott veto on funding Florida MLCs and their support for rural libraries’ IT-related services and training, for example, will not be represented.

As many states complete their annual legislative session this month, we’d all like to hear how individual states fared this year in public library funding. So take a moment to post a quick comment to this blog summarizing how the budget wars affected libraries and the digital divide in your state. Will libraries be better off in your state this time next year?

Despite the anguish and teeth-gnashing of many librarians here in Florida, they will continue to fight the good fight and try to reduce the impact of the digital divide as best they can – especially in rural settings. The veto will just make that task more difficult to accomplish.

But there are a number of very clear conclusions as to reducing the digital divide: first, there has to be political will at all jurisdictional levels that recognizes that the digital divide exists; second, cuts in resources to libraries only make the digital divide worse; and third, people without access to high-speed broadband and related services – whether from the library or not – are disenfranchised residents of this country.

Dr. McClure is the President of Information Management Consultant Services, LLC, imcscrm@attglobal.net

New advocacy tools for 2012 legislative sessions and beyond

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 The slow economic recovery continues to impact state budgets in general, and library budgets in particular. The Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study team is well aware of the need for data that will help public libraries expand and strengthen their advocacy efforts during this critical time. In response to feedback from state library and public library staff, the team has once again created an advocacy package for use during the current legislative sessions (and beyond).

 The package contains the newest data available, gathered from November 2011 survey responses:

  • Press Release templates (local and state level)
  • Op-Ed templates (local and state level )
  • Topic Handouts (click on your state, “State Briefs” on top right) Color graphics comparing your state vs. national, using new 2011-2012 study data.
    • Public Libraries & Employment
    • Public Libraries & E-Government
  • State Profiles: Current selected study data comparing national and state levels (e.g., Internet connectivity speed, average # of workstations) as well as other state-level resources. *Preliminary 2011-2012 profile data will be available April 1.*

 The new press release and op-ed templates have been crafted with the focus on the crucial role public libraries play as strategic technology partners for digital literacy and local economic development. The templates can easily be customized for media targets at the local, regional, and state levels.

 Download and print the color topic handouts (PDF) for visits with state legislators, as well as local officials. These handouts, along with data on the State profiles (PDF), will also be useful in your communications with your representatives in Congress.

We would appreciate knowing if you have success getting media placement utilizing the templates, or how these materials are being used in your advocacy efforts. Good luck!