Tag Archives: Advocacy

Programs, Young Adults

YALSA wants your teen participation studies!

http://www.ala.org/yalsa

From YALSA:

“The YALSA Legislation Committee wonders if you would share an example of a time you helped mobilize teen participation for a social justice or advocacy cause. We’re collecting examples!

It could be an example of a time you encouraged high schoolers to write a letter to their school board, or an example of the time you took a group of teens to your local representative’s office to advocate for library funding.
We want to know what you did, how, and why!

It’s quick, easy, and painless! Fill out this brief form and be forever in our gratitude: https://goo.gl/forms/oqYLEZAd9C3maqII2“

Advocacy

Take Action for Libraries Day to launch during National Library Week

ALA, library community, advocates, call on nation’s leaders to safeguard IMLS funding

CHICAGO – Libraries of all types are part of a delicate ecosystem that supports the transformation of communities and lives through education and lifelong learning. From the cradle to the grave, libraries provide invaluable resources that serve as a lifeline for billions of users for access to technology, early and digital literacy instruction, job-seeking resources, social services and small business tools.

During National Library Week April 9 – 15, The American Library Association (ALA) will launch Take Action for Libraries Day, a national library advocacy effort observed for the first time on the Thursday of National Library Week, April 13.

In response to President’s Trump proposed budget cuts, this year’s Take Action for Libraries Day will highlight the library community’s efforts to safeguard funding for the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which serves as a critical funding resource for every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories to support libraries and museums. IMLS funding helps support literacy programs for youth, small business service centers, services for veterans and technological resources and services like 3-D printers.

Continue reading Take Action for Libraries Day to launch during National Library Week →

Advocacy, CMLE, Communication

Celebrate First Annual CMLE Library Snapshot Day!

Geraldine Fain, daughter of Harry Fain, coal loader, browses in free library supported by the company. Librarian... - NARA - 541514You do a lot of neat things in your library . We love to see them.

It’s just that great combination of ideas that helped to create Library Snapshot Day! This is a national program, but without a specific Minnesota date – so we have set April 27 as our day.

“Snapshot Day Library Snapshot Day provides a way for libraries of all types across a state, region, system or community to show what happens in a single day in their libraries. How many books are checked out? How many people receive help finding a job? Doing their taxes? Doing their homework? This initiative provides an easy means to collect statistics, photos and stories that will enable library advocates to prove the value of their libraries to decision-makers and increase public awareness.”
Continue reading Celebrate First Annual CMLE Library Snapshot Day! →

Advocacy, Communication, General

Some early success in the fight to fund IMLS!

https://www.imls.gov/

We are passing along this letter from ALA President Julie Todaro. It looks like there is some growing support in the federal legislature for continuing to fund IMLS!

Remember that Minnesota directly receives nearly $3 million a year from IMLS. They fund the LSTA grants, they support training of all sorts across the profession, and they fund projects too large for one library do to alone. Check out our podcast on Digitization projects to hear about a few amazing things IMLS has helped to fund – including the Minnesota Digital Library, that many of us use every day!

Have you sent an email, or called, or stopped in to visit a federal or state legislator to tell them about the great things libraries do? Yes! Great!! Do it again!! Libraries need all of us to stand up NOW, and tell everyone how wonderful we are! (And we are – so go brag about the things you do every day!) Continue reading Some early success in the fight to fund IMLS! →

CMLE, Programs

Coming Up: National Library Week

Just a quick reminder that next week is National Library Week!

At CMLE Headquarters, we support all our 300+ libraries, and want to be sure you guys are ready to tell the world how wonderful you are!! Call someone (legislator, stakeholder, potential fan) and tell them about your work. Take some photos and share them on social media, or send them to us and we can share them. Video an interview with a patron who gushes about your great things – or interview yourself on video gushing about your great things!

Libraries are just wonderful, and this is your chance to bask in that!

From the ALA:

“Libraries Transform” is the theme for National Library Week in 2017.

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries – school, public, academic and special – participate.

Celebrations during National Library Week include:

  • Monday, April 10: State of America’s Libraries Report released, including Top Ten Frequently Challenged Books of 2016.
  • Tuesday, April 11: National Library Workers Day, a day for library staff, users, administrators and Friends groups to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers.
  • Wednesday, April 12: National Bookmobile Day, a day to recognize the contributions of our nation’s bookmobiles and the dedicated professionals who make quality bookmobile outreach possible in their communities.
  • Thursday, April 13, has just been designated Take Action for Libraries Day.  Read the press release. Details will be posted here as soon as they’re available.