Tag Archives: Florida

“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.

E-government services from public libraries

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As the United States continues to experience difficult economic conditions, public libraries continue to provide a significant range of E-government services and resources to its users.  The 2010-2011 findings from the Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study (PLFTAS) regarding E-government and job seeking support paints a very active  picture of how public libraries have been an important contributor to helping folks access E-government and find job opportunities.

Additional summary and analysis of the PLFTAS data suggests the following key points:

  • 90% of public libraries help people understand and use government websites;
  • 89% of public libraries report that providing access to government information and services is important to their community;
  • 80% of public libraries help people apply for E-government services; and
  • 68% of public libraries help people complete E-government forms.

The report summarizing the PLFTAS data goes on to state that while public libraries are heavily engaged in E-government services, the library also faces many challenges – which the report further describes. But oftentimes, the demand for such E-government services outpaces the capacity of the library to meet those demands.

A number of local, state, and federal websites have language similar to that at the US Department of Education (FAQ 7) that directs individuals who do not have a computer to the public library.  Indeed, my experience in dealing with E-government services provided by local, state, and federal agencies suggests that many of these agencies regularly refer people for both assistance and computers to their local public library.  In short, these agencies regularly promote the use of public libraries for E-government services, in some instances because the agency has inadequate staff to do so itself.

An important resource for assisting libraries with E-government services is an E-government Toolkit developed by the American Library Association (ALA). Another good example is the Pasco County Library System (FL) Online Government Services Website.  But a key issue in the provision of E-government services and resources to the public is the library’s ability to meet the demand and cost for these services – many of which are described in the ALA Toolkit or at the Pasco County website.

We’d look forward to hearing the experiences of readers in the provision of E-government services from their libraries – what are some of the critical success factors that need to be in place for successful E-government services? How can libraries best meet these E-government needs given the difficult economic times we have currently?  Please offer your comments (“reply”) below to share with others.

We’ll explore these comments, some of the issues raised, critical success factors in the provision of E-government services, and especially consider the costs, benefits, and broadband needs for successful E-government services in the next blog.