Hello youth services librarians and library staff. National Library Week is right around the corner. This year, the annual advocacy event will take place from April 4-10, with the theme, “Welcome to Your Library.” In 1958, the first year that National Library Week was established with the theme, “Wake Up and Read” – it was the first event of its kind to promote literacy and celebrate libraries at the national level (1).
Category: Blogger Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee
Talk Story: Sharing Stories, Sharing Culture Grant
Each year the American Indian Library Association and Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association team up to offer a total of 4 grants worth $750 each to encourage libraries, schools, and community organizations who serve Asian American, Pacific Islander American, and/or American Indian children and families to conduct intergenerational programs to celebrate the cultural heritage of their communities.
Spotlight On: Early and Family Literacy Committee
Once again, the Public Awareness & Advocacy Committee is excited to share another hard working ALSC committee with you! ALSC process committees create valuable programs, publications, and resources for youth librarians. While we love our book awards, we also love our toolkits, webinars, best practices, and networking opportunities… and all of this value is for members, by members! Previously we have featured the School Age Programs & Services Committee and the Library Services to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers Committee. This month we wanted to highlight the work done by the Early and Family Literacy Committee. Current Co-Chairs Lori Romero and Joanna Ward were kind enough to answer some questions about their committee and the work they do.
ALSC Community Forum – February 25
The Association for Library Service to Children is excited to announce its upcoming community forum, Our Work Matters: Advocating for Children’s Services. The forum will take place on February 25 from 12:00 to 1:00 pm Central Time. The topic of the February Community Forum was developed from a blogpost by ALSC President Kirby McCurtis on Nov. 10 – Our Work Matters. As libraries respond to the circumstances of the pandemic by tightening budgets, it is vital for children’s library workers to advocate for the value of their work. First, members of ALSC’s own Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee will invite ALSC members to consider how they define advocacy before highlighting current ALSC and ALA advocacy resources and sharing simple and concrete ways ALSC members can step up their advocacy game. This brief presentation will be followed by a member feedback and Q&A session. Next, the Community Forum will feature an…
Make Time for Library Advocacy in 2021: Tips for Connecting with Your Elected Officials
The start of a new year is a great time to set new goals, work on new projects, and begin advocating for libraries! Reaching out to share information about your library and voicing your opinions on legislation that impacts libraries can lead to tangible benefits in terms of funding and community support. However, getting started in advocacy often can feel intimidating and overwhelming. To help, Justin de la Cruz, Chair of the Committee on Library Advocacy, and Joe Thompson, Chair of the Committee on Legislation, have answered some questions you may have so you, too, can advocate like a pro!
Hindsight is Twenty-Twenty: Reimagining Public Libraries in 2021 and Beyond
Anxious. Tumultuous. Confusing. Cut-off. These are words that come to mind when reflecting on the past year. But with three days left, the end of 2020 is in sight. But we are not yet out of the woods. The COVID-19 pandemic’s devastating economic repercussions will be felt through 2022. Millions of Americans lost jobs this year, and now, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction moratorium ending on December 31, 30 to 40 million Americans are at risk for eviction. So once things are back to “normal,” they still truly won’t be. School libraries will serve children whose families have been impacted. Public libraries will serve families who have been impacted. Recovery will take time. Our committee took time at each virtual meeting to discuss the pandemic and its impact on our communities. Before the pandemic, mobile hotspots, e-resources, pop-up libraries, virtual meetings, and more existed in public…
Virtual Giving Campaigns
Libraries big and small need the support of their communities. In pre-COVID times, fundraising could run the gamut from a book sale to a large Gala with a keynote author. This is yet another area where libraries have had to pivot to the “new normal”. Cindy Sharek, Director of Donor Relations for the King County Library System Foundation, shares how they’ve adapted. How are you using Virtual Campaigns? The KCLS Foundation participates every year in three giving days. Library Giving Day (April 23) GiveBig (May 5-6) Giving Tuesday (Dec. 1) In 2020, these were even more important to our fundraising for the year. All three were virtual and we had great results. We used email campaigns, social media posts, and direct mail to spread the word. We were able to put together a strong match pool for Library Giving Day and raised over $110,000 between GiveBig and Library Giving Day….
Spotlight On: School Age Programs & Services
Once again, the Public Awareness & Advocacy Committee is excited to share another exciting ALSC committee with you! Again, why are process committees cool? They create valuable programs, publications, and resources for youth librarians. After all, while we love our book awards, we also love our toolkits, webinars, best practices, and networking opportunities… and all of this value is for members, by members! Previously, we spotlighted the Library Services to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers committee. Here is another exciting committee to keep an eye on (and maybe consider volunteering for next year). The co-chairs of the School Age Programs & Services committee, shared some insight into what it’s like to serve on this committee. Can you share a brief history of the committee? Because of the rotating nature of committees, it can be hard to pin down when and how a specific process committee was formed. Sierra, who is…