Tag Archives: advocacy

“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.

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!

Powerful South Dakota advocacy that’s easy on the eye

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The South Dakota State Library has published a dynamic annual report of public library statistics for libraries to use in their communications and advocacy efforts at the local, state, and national levels. This visually engaging publication is dominated by graphics, photos, and impactful statistics, skillfully balanced with concise narrative and the all important design element of “white space.”

The publication smartly incorporates comparative data at the regional and national levels, featuring statistics on availability of public access technology (from the Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study), funding (and ROI), collections, programs, and circulation, including selected longitudinal data for three and 10 year spans.

“We have received some high praises and many kind remarks from librarians and local and state officials as well. Librarians are increasingly using it as benchmarks to begin conversations on the local level about the quality and funding of library services on the local level. Several libraries have seen increased funding when they shared their current level of per capita funding with the state or national averages,” said Daria Bossman, Assistant State Librarian for Development.

The State Library has created a similar publication for school libraries, and the 2011 edition is posted with the public library editions on the State Library’s statistics webpage.

Community stakeholders and elected officials are inundated with mountains of documents presenting important data and calls to action in a straightforward and dry manner. And in the majority of cases, this is the appropriate format for the delivery of information.  Thanks to the South Dakota State Library, public and school libraries in the state have an advocacy tool in hand that should bring relief to the tired eyes of their target audience, and generate growing support throughout the state.