Tag Archives: Advocacy

Advocacy

Library Advocacy Postcard Party on May 31st!

Do you like libraries? Drinking coffee? How about interacting with other friendly library people? Then you should definitely come to our Library Advocacy Postcard Party on Thursday, May 31st!

From 3pm-5pm we will be at the Local Blend in St. Joe, writing postcards (or emails or Tweets or whatever method you prefer) to library stakeholders to make sure they understand just how vital libraries  are to our communities. Public, academic, school, and special libraries – we need them all!!

We will provide postcards (with new designs!), library facts, addresses for state and federal legislators (if you have information for principals or school board members, bring those along too), and sample text of what to write on your postcard. Plus, we’ll mail all the postcards at the end!

We hope you can join us at the end of May!

Advocacy, CMLE

Join us at the Local Blend on May 31st for a Postcard Party!

Not only are we looking forward to National Library Legislative Day next week and our virtual event at CMLE HQ, but we are also excited to host another Library Advocacy Postcard Party on Thursday, May 31st! We will be at the Local Blend in St. Joseph from 3-5pm with postcards, library facts, addresses for state and federal legislators (if you have information for principals or school board members, bring those along too), and sample text of what to write on your postcard. Plus, we’ll mail all the postcards at the end!

The goal behind our Postcard Parties is to share the value of libraries with legislators and other library stakeholders who may not hear enough about the incredible work that takes place in libraries. It’s up to us to let them know how important libraries are!

We really had fun at our last Postcard Party in December. As you can see, there was lots of advocacy, networking, and conversation. So don’t miss out, join us May 31st!

Advocacy, CMLE

Join CMLE in some Library Advocacy on Virtual Library Legislative Day!

Join us next Tuesday May 8th from 9am – 5pm at CMLE HQ for some important library advocacy!

National Library Legislative Day takes place May 7-8 when librarians and library supporters will go to Washington DC for a two-day event. The first day they learn about advocacy tactics and current federal legislative issues that will impact libraries. Then the second day they have the opportunity to meet with their members of Congress to encourage support of libraries! Past MLA Legislative Chair, CMLE member, and podcast Guest Host Jami Trenam will be leading the delegation from Minnesota! If you are looking for some tips on library advocacy, listen to that episode now!

However, since traveling to DC is out of the question for many library supporters, there is a virtual option! You can register to participate and join in from home or your library – or have even more fun and join us at CMLE HQ! We’ll be advocating from our office between 9am – 5pm (ring the bell after 3pm and we’ll let you in!) and would love to have you join us! (We will have snacks, advocacy postcards, suggested text and other supplies to help advocate for libraries!)

Take a look at this great advocacy toolkit from ALA to get inspiration for social media posts, talking points, and letter templates. You can also use #NLLD18. Keep in mind these legislative topics when you are advocating:

  • House & Senate: Reauthorize the Museum and Library Services Act (S. 2271)
  • House & Senate: Fully Fund LSTA and IAL (Innovative Approaches to Literacy) for FY 2019
  • House & Senate: Visit a library, see broadband access in action

We hope you can join us next Tuesday for Virtual Library Legislative Day! If you can’t make it to our office, definitely take a few minutes to send an email, make a phone call, or post to social media about the importance of libraries!

Advocacy, Training

Training Tips: Everyday Advocacy Has Lots to Offer

If you have been around CMLE at all, you know we love to talk about libraries, and to tell EVERYONE how lovely our libraries are!! For the uninitiated, that is advocacy.

We like to talk about that a lot here, because sometimes people get nervous or intimidated by the idea of advocacy. It sounds like only something that people with super-special skills could do. But advocacy is for everyone! Do you like your library? Do you have cool stuff? Tell someone about it. And presto! You are a library advocate!

You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t need a degree. You don’t need a fancy, big library with tons of funding. You just need to care about libraries.

And then you can build on that, and get some skills to help yourself to feel more comfortable in advocating for your library and for the library profession. Check out this material from the ALSC Blog about Everyday Advocacy, by  Laura Schulte-Cooper for some ideas.

“With National Library Legislative Day (May 7-8) just about a month away, this seems an appropriate time to remind everyone about Everyday Advocacy (EA)! Are you familiar with EA? According to ALSC’s EA website, Everyday Advocacy is “a grassroots effort that starts with you and the incredible things you’re already doing for the youth and families you serve.” Consider Everyday Advocacy an antidote to the advocacy intimidation factor!

Need more convincing? Just take another (or first) look at the site. It truly is filled with resources compiled to help you get comfortable in the role of advocate or to get inspired to do more in the way of advocacy. Here’s just a small sampling of what you will find at the Everyday Advocacy site:

Be Informed | The Power of Stories

Human beings learn through stories. A well-told story is an extremely compelling way to convey your message, which will linger longer in the mind of the listener than a fact. Use these strategies to help your audience cement your message through images.

Be Informed | Using Statistics Effectively

Totals, percentages, averages, ratios. We’re guessing you’ve got no shortage of numbers to share! Statistics are compelling when used strategically to tell your library’s story.  Keep these points in mind as you incorporate numbers and figures into your message.

Engage with Your Community | Identify Key Stakeholders

Who directly benefits from your library’s programs and services? Who’s in the background, supporting your efforts and cheering you on? Take first steps toward advocacy by identifying these key stakeholders in your library community.

Speak Out | Crafting Your Message

Advocating for the most compelling issue or worthy cause is a losing battle if nobody hears what you are championing or knows why they should join you! Getting your message out is essential, so prepare yourself for success with these tips.

Get Inspired | Your Advocacy Stories

Get inspired by these Everyday Advocacy stories from our very own ALSC members. Cheer your colleagues—and maybe even snap up a few new ideas in the process.

Great stuff, right?! And, there’s so much more to dive into on the website. Check it out.

Still looking for more? The April Everyday Advocacy Matters newsletter came out this week. In this issue, find: interviews with several of the newly-deemed Library Journal Movers & Shakers; library-related articles from outside the library world for you to read and share; and quick acts of advocacy for when you really only have five minutes.

Spring is a time for new beginnings. Become an Everyday Advocate!”

Advocacy

CMLE’s Virtual Library Legislative Day

Earlier this month at CMLE HQ we celebrated Virtual Library Legislative Day on Tuesday, March 6th. That was the same day that many librarians also attended Legislative Day at the MN Capitol! Virtual Library Legislative Week was happening at the same time, so our advocating for libraries didn’t stop after one day! (Didn’t get a chance to contact your legislator? No problem – scroll down the page for more info on how to do so today!)

To celebrate Virtual Library Legislative Day, CMLE HQ had snacks, postcards, names and addresses of legislators, and sample text for our members to use, and we had fun seeing the flurry of activity online from excited library advocates! We were extra impressed by those able to make it to the Capitol, and loved seeing their experiences documented on social media.

Didn’t get a chance to advocate on Legislative Day or during Virtual Legislative Week? Don’t worry, it’s always a good time to advocate for libraries!! Thanks to the awesome information on the Minnesota Library Advocacy website, you can (and should) take a few minutes to contact your legislators. Find your MN legislators here.

Then use these resources to let them know which bill numbers to support! This is very important and makes it easier for your legislators to take action! Keep in mind that the bills with “HF” are for the House of Representatives and “SF” is for the Senate. Just in case, here is the list of bills from the website:

Bill numbers

RLBSS & Multi-type Funding Bill

HF 1382 Rep. Bud Nornes (R, 8A) [Bill details]

SF 1033 Sen. Gary Dahms (R, 16 ) [Bill details]

Bonding

HF 1484 Rep. Jeff Howe, (R, 13A) [Bill details]

SF 2218 Sen. Bill Ingebrigtson) (R, 8) [Bill details]

School Librarians Grant Pool

HF 2698 Rep Mary Kunesh-Podein (DFL, 41B) [Bill details]

Need some help with what to say when you contact your legislator? Check out these letter/email writing templates and tips, or if you want to make a phone call, read through this page that has a call script template and other tips for making calls to your legislators.

You can do it! Your Minnesota libraries need you!