Transcript Local Advocacy

Local Library Advocacy
Charlie Parker & Deborah Hohler
Welcome Florida Library
Advocates!
You are the Florida libraries’ first
responders and heroes!
You are the ones who rush into the
blazing budget fires to save your
libraries!
Thank you!
Good Afternoon Florida Library
Advocates!
Here’s our plan for strengthening our
local advocacy skills… we’ll focus on…
 Relationship building
 Advocacy Planning
 Our message – Establishing the library
value in community’s mind
… & relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships
Relationships!
 It’s easy – be commissioners’
friends!
 Look for connections! – Friends?
Family? Positive library experiences?
 Do you have shared interests?
 Nurture the relationship over time…
Critical Relationships…
Library Director
 Advocacy Planning - Directors & advocates
must be on the same page
 Leader – Sets service goals & priorities,
provide advocacy tools – plans & statistics
 Strong Director / advocate relationships
critical for success!
Critical Relationships…
County / City Administrator
 Meet with them & discuss advocacy plans
 Favorable budget recommendation is priceless
 Show them how library supports community
goals
 Show them how it supports their priorities
Critical Relationships…
Commissioners
 Who are the library champions?
 How do we win all of them over?
 How does the library support
community goals?
 How does it support their priorities?
Critical Relationships…
Partners
 Schools, Chamber, county
departments & gov. agencies
 Influentials – those Commissioners
can’t say no to
 Media – key to success is how well
the community understands the
library’s value
Planning - Local Gov. Budget
Calendar
Oct. - New fiscal year
Jan. - March - Departments develop plans
Feb – Budget targets & guidelines provided
March – April – Departments submit
budgets
 April – June – BCC Budget Workshops
 July 1 – Proposed budgets submitted
 Aug. – Sept. - Public hearings &
adoption
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Advocates’ Planning
Calendar
 Fall – Relationship building - visit
them, invite them to library, & thank
them for funding
 Winter – Building the foundation –
establishing the value…
 Spring – Making the ask – supporting
the library budget request – focus on
administrator
 Summer – Making the ask – focus on
commissioners
Plan!
 What do you want? What are library’s goals?
 How do you get it? List what you need to do
& make a calendar.
 Prepare – Get your rationale on paper. Why
should they do what you’re asking?
 Don’t forget to follow the plan!
Basic Plan
– Adapted from Broward
FOL…
Meet with the Library Director to determine Library goals for
coming year.
Meet with City/County Administrator to reach agreement about
library support efforts, earn what might be feasible, and establish a
relationship.
Meet with each District City/County Commission as needed
throughout the year to establish a working relationship in support of
Library’s services.
Create a Team including FOL President, FOL Advocacy Chair,
Foundation Director, Representatives from Friends groups in each
Commissioner’s District, so they meet directly with their constituents
Basic Plan –
adapted from Broward
…continued
Meet with State Legislative Delegation prior to attending Library Day in
Tallahassee.
Support library issues in local State Legislative Delegation Public Hearings
Develop Marketing Plan to gain public support for advocacy efforts, inc.:
– Hold meetings to get public input regarding library services
– Write “Letters to the Editor”
– Purchase advertisements
– Build advocate network with e-mail lists & social networking
– Distribute information to the public supporting library services and solicit
their communicating their need for Library services.
Attend Library Days in Tallahassee.
Attend local Budget Workshops and Public Hearings and support library’s
budget.
Message - Why Do Public &
Legislators Love Libraries?
Library Services transform lives!
Public uses libraries heavily!
Personal stories – give it human face!
Good stewards of public funds!
Library advocates are positive & don’t
complain!
 People like to associate with winning
causes & libraries are winners!
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What’s Your Message? –Connect
Your Passion With Theirs!
 Policy maker - “Tell me why I care”
 … help them connect libraries with their
passions
 We’re most persuasive when talking about
what we care about deeply
 Libraries do sooo many valuable things we can’t mention them all
 Be positive – everyone likes to be part of a
successful winning effort!
Message - Libraries Transform
Lives!
 Use your library’s
statistics!
 Books! Books! Books!
 Popular ebooks make
libraries cool!
 Help people get jobs!
 Help public get egovernment services!
 Provide public with
technology!
 Help pre-schoolers
learn!
 Help students!
 Help public with 21st
Century Skills!
 Provide tech training!
 Provide teens safe
spaces to learn &
socialize!
 Gathering place!
 Reading is good!
 Teach parents to be
child’s first teacher!
 Early voting sites!
 …did I mention the
library’s statistics?
Message -Make Statistics
Come Alive Example!
Citrus County Residents…
– over 96,000, or 68% of residents have library cards!
– checked out over 732,00 or 5.2 items each!
– visited their libraries over 622,000 times or 4.42 time
each!
– used library computers over 219,915 times!
– over 1,800 received computer training!
– over 28,900 adults attended library programs!
Citrus County children and teens…
– checked out over 124,000 items!
– attended over 30,000 programs
Cost? - $21.79 per capita, compared to $27.88 state &
$36.18 national averages (2010)
- 2010-11 Florida Division of Library and Information Services
Sarasota Shows Impact!
Message Example…
It’s important for the future of Citrus County
that the County Commission approve the
library request for additional staff.
– Staff will help the public with job searching
– And will conduct programs for very young
children which will help prepare them for success
in school
You’ve got backup!
Faye Roberts, FLA Executive Director
FLA Legislative Committee
Chris Lyon, FLA Lobbyist
Judi Ring, State Librarian & State
Library staff
 Sec. of State Ken Detzner & DOS
Leg. Affairs Coordinator
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Questions?
Thank You!
Good luck with your Library
Advocacy!
The vitality of Florida Public
Libraries depends on you!