Public library advocacy
A well-timed and hand-crafted email or strategically sent letter can be a potent mechanism used to sway the decisions of elected officials and the masses.
Letters are practical because they can be distributed to many individuals and can serve as representation for public library advocates who cannot attend crucial meetings or rallies.
Rally organizers will often have stickers, leaflets, or other promotional items to give to participants and passers-by to help publicize the issue at hand.
They are often organized by Friends groups,[21] community members,[22] or library unions[23] and are usually last-ditch efforts to stop a proposed action.
Others involve picketing outside a library branch or in a place with high traffic to draw the public’s awareness to the issues at hand.
Indianapolis library lovers organized a read-in during July 2010 to protest drastic budget cuts that would have closed 6 branches.
New York activists held this type of read-in June 2010 as part of their “We Will Not Be Shushed” campaign to stave off proposed budget cuts.
Teams exist throughout the United States, including Colorado,[26] Connecticut,[27] Delaware,[28] Florida,[29] Illinois,[30] Massachusetts,[31] Ohio,[32] Pennsylvania,[33] and Texas.
The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development”.
Through this agency, “libraries and museums have converged as cultural heritage institutions with a renewed commitment to collaborative engagement within local and world communities”.
[54] The campaign aims "to raise awareness about the variety of programs and services offered; to increase use of libraries at schools, at colleges and universities, in government, at work, and in daily community life; to increase funding for libraries; to involve librarians as stakeholders on public policy issues such as intellectual freedom, equity of access and the digital divide; to encourage librarianship as a profession".
[74] "In his veto message, Sanford said he had decided 'that fully funding local libraries does not rise to the level of many of our other core services such as law enforcement and health care'.
[77] NYPL has successfully retained $23 million in subsidies and raised $144,000 through an advocacy campaign entitled "Don't Close the Book on Libraries.
[79] The most unusual advocacy effort was a Ghostbusters skit performed in the library by Improv Everywhere, a group that "causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places.
This success was realized through the advocacy of "130,000 New Yorkers and others who wrote letters, donated more than $144,000 online, called elected officials, and raised their voices on the steps of City Hall" as well as "children who created artwork and the seniors who passed our flyers.
[78] In the summer of 2009, the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library in Findlay, Ohio, discovered that state legislators were planning to cut its funding by about $1.2 million over the next two years.
[88] Campaign publicity included yard signs, banners, radio and newspaper ads, flyers, postcards, bookmarks, and door hangers advocating that locals vote yes on the levy.
As an answer to closing entire branches, 27.8 positions would be cut throughout the remainder of the fiscal year as well as concessions in employee benefits and pay.
There was also much support for and participation in organizations such as Friends of the Phoenix Public Library, who raised awareness of the budget cuts and the effects they would have on the community.
"[100] In 2000, Friends advocates also "led a $106 million bond measure to build and refurbish 24 neighborhood branch libraries city-wide.
[104] Prior to the election, Hughes enlisted more than 100 volunteers to rally support for the referendum through phone calls and neighbor education.
In June 2009, faced with a large deficit to the city budget, Mayor Tim Davlin of Springfield, Illinois, began proposing service cuts to the library, police, and firefighters.
Mayor Davlin even described the loss of services as a blow to “literacy and a societal goal of providing educational access to our citizens.”[108] But the shortfall was too great and some form of cuts seemed imminent.
[113] After an out-pouring of public support, city officials commissioned the High Performance Government Team to come up with alternatives to closing branches.
Siskiyou County, California, administrator Brian McDermott announced in May 2010 that due to a $3.7 million deficit the entire library would be closed down forever by June 30.
[117] This northern California county with 46,000 residents is roughly the size of Connecticut and is very rural, and though it once boomed thanks to gold and lumber, it now suffers from 17% unemployment.
Governor Chris Christie’s FY 2011 budget proposal slashed statewide library funding by 74%, including the entire appropriation for NJKI databases.
[122] The New Jersey State Library has campaigned tirelessly for a restoration of funding,[123] pointing out that the benefits to small businesses, universities and students represent a 13 to 1 return on the dollars invested, and that many beneficiaries cannot afford direct access to these databases at their own expense.
Small businesses, among the greatest beneficiaries of the program, have not advocated for restoration of the funding, opting instead to support Governor Christie’s call for reduced government spending and lower taxes.
[130] The library communicates with its users in a variety of media, including blogs and topical RSS feeds,[131] monthly director's reports,[132] Twitter, and Facebook.
