The ALSC Advocacy and Legislation committee Co-Chairs, Africa Hands, and I, were ask to lead an activity at the ALSC Membership Meeting on Monday of the 2017 Annual Conference. Africa developed a list of six resources and topics for small groups to discuss during the meeting. This post is a recap of that discussion. You can see notes from the breakout discussions in the photos, as well as my brief introduction to each topic. Each discussion was facilitated by an ALSC Board Member (thank you!!!) using the guiding questions provided. Share your responses to guiding questions in the comments!
1) Thunderclap
Think of this as a campaign signal booster. Or a go fund me for social reach. In other words, you start a campaign and awesome people donate their social reach to support and boost your campaign.
Example: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/45168-banned-books-week
Guiding questions:
Have you participated in a Thunderclap campaign?
What are your concerns about using Thunderclap?
2) Hootsuite www.hootsuite.com
This tool is for organizing and scheduling your social media posts. This way, if you’ll be out of town or busy on a day you need to send advocacy posts via social media, you can schedule them in advance.
Guiding questions:
Have you used Hootsuite to advocate for library issues?
What are your concerns about using Hootsuite?
Have you scheduled tweets for special advocacy days using Hootsuite?
3) Everyday Advocacy http://www.ala.org/everyday-advocacy/
Spend some time here and familiarize yourself with the wealth of resources found on this site.
Guiding questions:
What are your favorite sections of the Everyday Advocacy website?
How do you use this resource when planning advocacy activities?
Did you use EA to learn about ways to get involved with Virtual/National Library Legislative Day?
4) Elevator speech
http://www.ala.org/alsc/elevator-content http://www.ala.org/everyday-advocacy/sites/ala.org.everyday-advocacy/files/content/elevator-speech-infographic.pdf
I really can’t emphasize this enough: have at least one elevator speech that you can deliver to anyone at any time. You never know when you might be in an elevator with, or sitting next to, just the right person.
Guiding questions:
Have you created an advocacy or library focused elevator speech?
Practice elevator speeches.
What tips do you have for creating an elevator speech?
How do you tailor your speech to specific audiences?
5) Contacting legislators
http://cqrcengage.com/ala/communicating
http://www.ala.org/everyday-advocacy/virtual-library-legislative-day/contact-your-us-senators-and-representatives
Use the links above for information on contacting your legislators. Visit the Fight for Libraries page right now and sign up for action alerts and learn more about action you can take immediately. Remember to make it personal whenever possible when contacting legislators. How will they and their constituents be personally affected?
Guiding questions:
Have you contacted your legislator using one of these means?
How did you personalize your message?
Have you participated in a letter writing event?
Are patrons requesting information or assistance with contacting legislators?
6) Impact statements
http://www.ala.org/everyday-advocacy/virtual-library-legislative-day/use-imls-impact-statements-state
These are short, punchy statements meant to grab the attention of stakeholders. Use ones provided, or create your own.
Guiding questions:
How have you used impact statements to advocate for your library?
Create impact statements for your specific library setting.
Answer the guiding questions yourself and share in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!
Kendra Jones is Co-Chair, with Africa Hands, of the ALSC Advocacy and Legislation Committee. She is the District Manager for Youth & Family Services at Timberland Regional Library in Washinton State.
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