Everyday Advocacy Challenge: Meet the Spring 2016 Cohort!

Who’s ready to take the Spring 2016 Everyday Advocacy Challenge (EAC)? Our next cohort of bold and daring Everyday Advocates is—and we hope you are, too!

From March 1-22, our cohort of intrepid volunteers will do the following:

• Commit to completing four consecutive Take Action Tuesday challenges on advocacy topics/themes of their choosing;
• Collaborate with their EAC cohort members over the four-week period, sharing successes and troubleshooting issues via ALA Connect;
• Write a post for the ALSC blog about their EAC experiences; and
• Contribute a reflection for the April 2016 issue of the Everyday Advocacy Matters e-newsletter.

Before the Spring 2016 EAC gets underway next week, we’d like to introduce some of our cohort members and their reasons for taking the four-week challenge. Watch for their sure-to-inspire ALSC blog posts beginning Tuesday, March 1!

Keturah Cappadonia, Librarian, David A. Howe Public Library (N.Y.)
“I want to take the Everyday Advocacy Challenge to help develop my skills in speaking out about the importance of library services for children and build self-confidence in my skills and abilities to help make me a better librarian. I want to be better able to serve the families in my community through improved communications on behalf of my library.”

Colleen M. Cochran, Librarian, Glenview (Ill.) Public Library
“As I near my first anniversary as a professional librarian, I would love to reinvigorate my perspective and be reminded of why I became a children’s librarian. The Everyday Advocacy Challenge would be an opportunity to focus on what I can do for the patrons I serve, regardless of the challenges of entrenched ideas and layers of bureaucracy common to public institutions.”

Cathy Collins, Librarian, Sharon (Mass.) Public Schools
“As the Advocacy Chair for Massachusetts School Library Association, I want to model for my colleagues some of the easy ways that school library media specialists can effectively advocate for strong school library programs on a daily basis!”

Skye Corey, Librarian, Meridian (Idaho) Library District
“As children’s librarians, advocacy is at the heart of what we do. From the programs we plan, to the collections we select, to the city hall meetings we attend – in all of these things, we are advocating for children and for a place where these children can be equipped with the skills, knowledge, wisdom, and vision needed to succeed.

I want to participate in the ALSC Everyday Advocacy Challenge (EAC) so that I can be challenged, pushed, and stretched. I want to learn how to best use stories, statistics, and news to demonstrate the value of children’s library services. I want to learn how to be more politically savvy as I work at defining key stakeholders both inside and outside the library, and as I work on crafting my own stories of impact. And, of course, I want to have a lot of fun along the way, meeting fellow ALSC members who are enthusiastic, inspiring, intelligent, and committed to learning how to be the best everyday advocates that they can be!

Once I have completed the EAC, I want to share my experiences with others (both those within the library and those outside of the library) so that together, we can work together to create a better future for children through libraries.

Katherine Paterson once wrote: ‘I discovered gradually and not without a little pain that you don’t put together a bridge for a child. You become one – you lay yourself across the chasm…’ It is my hope that through participating in the ALSC Everyday Advocacy Challenge, I will better learn how to be this bridge – a bridge to wonder, joy, friendship, and hope.”

Rose Hopkins-LaRocco, Librarian
“I want to take the Everyday Advocacy Challenge to bring more awareness to children’s librarianship and to challenge myself.”

Rosemary Kiladitis, Librarian
“I want to be more involved, and I want everyone to understand how important libraries are!”

Kimberly Patton, Supervisor, Kansas City, Kansas Public Library
“It’s important to be a voice for our library in our communities. As librarians, we need to be able to communicate the value of our libraries and all that we do to enhance our communities in large and small ways and I want to learn to do the best job I can with my advocacy efforts.”

Angela Petrie, Librarian and Supervisor, Stillwater (Minn.) Public Library
“My current position involves some involvement with an acting library board made up of a few members who would benefit from some dedicated and powerful advocacy, and I’m up for the challenge. I want to compose a few different messages for them and for all who may not really understand:

• The power behind a well developed, early literacy enriched library storytime;
• Why the kids are playing with dramatic play props in the children’s area;
• Why the babies are playing with toys after storytime; and
• Why the tweens really need a space for their own programming that can’t always include younger/older siblings.

It’s important to me that I can build upon and refine several messages that lead people to the accurate conclusion!”

Gayle Pulley, Supervisor, Ridgefield (Conn.) Library
“It is important to share our great ideas with each other and with our patrons. I should be advocating every day but usually allow other things get in the way. This experience will allow advocacy to be a top priority and become part of my daily responsibilities.”

Stacey Rattner, Librarian, Castleton (N.Y.) Elementary School
I am already promoting ALSC and libraries as much as I can but would love the opportunity to do more and meet other new ALSC members to hear what they are doing. I’m involved in my own state (NYLA) organization but do need the push to promote advocacy. Our state advocacy day is actually March 2 so that matches up well with the start of this challenge!

Mary Voors, Librarian and Supervisor, Allen County (Ind.) Public Library
“I want to activate my inner Everyday Advocate and motivate my colleagues to do the same!”

Claudia Wayland, Supervisor, Allen (Texas) Public Library

Kimberly White, Librarian, Cheshire (Conn.) Public Library
“I think this is a great opportunity to make the commitment to advocating for libraries on a regular basis. I enjoy reading (and sometimes even completing) the Take Action Tuesday Challenges, so I think this would be great chance to make the commitment. I also really love the idea of collaborating with those in the cohort over the month of March!”

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Jenna Nemec-Loise is Member Content Editor of the ALSC Everyday Advocacy Website and Electronic Newsletter. E-mail her at everyday-advocacy@hotmail.com and follow her on Twitter: @ALAJenna.