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Engaging Community Conversations through Library Advocacy

This guide focuses on fostering meaningful conversations between libraries and their communities year-round. It emphasizes the importance of planning, knowledge of city goals, and creating impactful messages about library services. Key strategies include engaging diverse groups through storytelling, effective communication such as elevator pitches, and consistent outreach via newsletters and annual reports. By advocating for library benefits, we can enhance their role as community centers, information resources, and economic drivers, ultimately ensuring continued support and investment.

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Engaging Community Conversations through Library Advocacy

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  1. WE CAN TALK?

  2. CONVERSATION • Talk, especially informal and friendly • Good talk practiced as an art • Exploratory discussion of issues by officials of institutions

  3. YEAR-ROUND CONVERSATIONS • Require planning • Require desire

  4. It Starts With the Board • Strengths • Knowledge of City Goals • Location, Location, Location

  5. CIRCLE OF ADVOCACY BEGINNING OF DIALOG CITY COUNCIL SENATORS ONGOING ADVOCACY LIBRARY TRUSTEES, STAFF & CITIZENS ONGOING ADVOCACY CIVIC GROUPS REPRESENTATIVES CRISIS

  6. The Message • What’s great about your library? • 5 Quick Facts • Develop a consistent message – Target Various Groups • Use stories to illustrate the message

  7. Targets of the Message • Who do you know? • Who do “they” know? • Develop a contact information list

  8. The Elevator Speech • 30 seconds • Memorized! • "How To" tips http://www.ideasandbox.com/blog/2007/01/elevator_pitch_your_tv_show_op.html

  9. Impact on the Community • As a community center • As an information resource • As an economic driver http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/bld/roi/pdfs/2005_SLAF_ROI_report.pdf

  10. YEAR-ROUND EFFORT • LIBRARY NEWSLETTER • “GOOD NEWS VISITS” AT COUNCIL • PACKET STUFFERS FOR COUNCIL • OTHERS??

  11. ANNUAL REPORTS • What statistics do you keep? Do you use? • Key off your mission or vision • “The Morrill Public Library is a source of information, education, and recreationservices, materials, and programs for all patrons.” • Use pictures (get releases), color, graphs http://www5.oclc.org/downloads/community/librariesstackup.pdf

  12. ANNUAL REPORTS • SROI (Social Return on Investment) http://www.balancedscorecard.org/basics/bsc1.html • Library Use Value Calculators http://www.maine.gov/msl/services/calculator.htm (example) http://www.maine.gov/msl/services/customcal.htm (way to customize to YOUR library)

  13. http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/tell-library-story

  14. TELL ME A STORY. . .

  15. REALITY PUBLIC LIBRARY • The Facts— • 5,016 card holders • Circulation statistics • 52,744 Total books circulated • Avg. cost for book - $25.00 • 3,034 population in community • Total tax support $59,122 • Library open 51 hours per week • Public Access Computers (7) used 15,780 times in 2006 • Average time of use 1 hour per use

  16. THE REALITY PUBLIC LIBRARY STORY . . . • Reality Public Library saved taxpayers $1,318,600.00 in 2004. • Current tax support of library is $19.49 per person • Tax support of $19.49 per person returns $434.61 of services per person.

  17. “Recent cost/benefit analyses using tools developed by business and industry suggest that public librariesoften outpace other sectorsin the efficient use of tax dollars.”* *Key Findings in Brief from the American Council of Libraries Council Report, Worth Their Weight: An Assessment of the Evolving Field of Library Valuation, www.actforlibraries.org

  18. In the News • Hold a political forum • Be a factor in a political campaign • Positive Publicity http://www.tonganoxielibrary.org/annual-report-in-pictures/

  19. All Politics IS LocalYou Know Them – They Know You! • Be Constituent Based - Identify yourself – I live, I work, I vote • Be Friendly • Be concise

  20. WHY BOTHER? • Gives the library positive publicity • Gives the City/Township positive publicity • May help increase tax support. . . • Reaffirms that the public library is a positive public service and important public investment for the community.

  21. Your Choice • Do nothing • Take what is “common” in the Library and create the “extraordinary” for the Community

  22. Contact Information Laura DeBaun Library Services Consultant & Business Manager Northeast Kansas Library System 4317 W. 6th St. Lawrence, KS 66049 1-800-296-6963 ldebaun@nekls.org

  23. WE CAN TALK?

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