Summer is over and many of us breathe a sigh of relief as summer reading/learning programs end and we move on to the rhythms of the school year. However, summer programs can be a gold mine for advocacy, not just during the summer but after the program ends as well.
Think of all the information that we collect on what, for many of us, is the biggest library “production” of the year. Most of you will have figures on books/hours read, programs offered and attendance at those programs, photos of children and parents enjoying themselves and engaging in informal learning at your library as well as a wealth of participant comments and stories.
How do you use this wealth of information? Do you prepare a report for your Director and Board and put it all away afterward or do you connect it with data on summer learning loss and use it to advocate for the incredible benefit that your library provides to your community? If the latter, how are you doing that? I would love to have you share some of the ways that you use your summer reading program and data to advocate, whether you create a series of bookmarks from participant comments, post photos to social media or create FAQ sheets to distribute to your town’s movers and shakers.
This blog is not a forum for me to pontificate on advocacy. Rather, I see it as an opportunity for me to throw out a question or subject and invite you to share your expertise and experiences with your peers. It is an invitation for you to communicate with the ALSC membership, share your ideas and enrich the conversation. It is your chance to provide a fellow children’s librarian with the perfect practical advocacy idea that he or she has been seeking. So please join in the conversation. We all look forward to hearing how you use that summer reading data!
Toni Bernardi
Chair, ALSC Advocacy and Legislation Committee