{"id":18749,"date":"2018-07-16T01:01:31","date_gmt":"2018-07-16T05:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/?p=18749"},"modified":"2025-05-14T16:33:27","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T20:33:27","slug":"advocacy-think-nationally-act-locally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2018\/07\/advocacy-think-nationally-act-locally\/","title":{"rendered":"Advocacy: Think Nationally\/Act Locally"},"content":{"rendered":"

Few of us have the opportunity to participate in ALA’s National Library Legislation Day<\/em><\/strong>\u2014but did you know that very best and most effective library and political advocacy is actually local?<\/p>\n

Here are a few simple \u201chow to\u2019s\u201d that will keep you in the know and build your knowledge and skills around advocacy… for national library legislation, for funding, and sensible Federal regulations that can have a powerful local impact.<\/p>\n

1. Register to vote<\/strong> via your local Board of Elections. or by mail<\/a>\u00a0.<\/a> Though many folks prefer not registering for a specific party (they like their Independent voter status) being a party member does allow you to vote in party primaries.<\/p>\n

2. Vote in every election you can<\/strong>. If you cannot vote in person\u2014be sure to secure an absentee ballot. (My Congresswoman in the NY–9 was primaried this year. I was able to vote before I left for NOLA!) BTW– Are YOU a Prime Voter? I bet you are!\u00a0https:\/\/www.ecanvasser.com\/blog\/voter-lists-the-prime-voter\/<\/a><\/p>\n

3. Subscribe to ALA\u2019s District Dispatc<\/strong>h to keep abreast of latest library policy news compiled the American Library Association’s Washington Office staff. http:\/\/www.ala.org\/aboutala\/offices\/wo<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Know who represents you<\/strong>\u00a0… in Congress, the Senate, the State Assembly, the State Senate, City\/ County\/Town\/Village, etc.. Your state\u2019s League of Women<\/em> Voters<\/em> portal can offer great resources! Here is the NYSLWV site http:\/\/www.lwvny.org\/<\/a> Remember to follow your \u2018electeds\u2019 on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Get on their email lists too! Know their voting records and where they STAND ON LIBRARIES!<\/p>\n

5. Bookmark ALA\u2019s Legislative Action Center (LAC)<\/a><\/strong>\u2014Your essential resource! It will help keep you up to date on the latest information around Federal Legislation and offers simple, customizable web forms for you to use to use in contacting your federal representatives (Senate\/House) about issues that are significant for libraries of all types.<\/p>\n

6. Subscribe to ALA ACTION ALERTS<\/strong>.\u00a0 Be sure to register on the LAC site<\/a> to get timely alerts. Simple to use! And you actually did<\/em> something! Terrific!<\/p>\n

7. Follow @ALALibrary on TWITTER<\/strong>. Keeps me up to date! I often amplify and retweet and tag (aka nudge) my \u201celecteds\u201d on issues that really need action.<\/p>\n

8. Make the community connection.<\/strong> Get to know the folks in the local office of your Congressmenbers. Visit them at ‘home’. Identify yourself as a voting constituent who\u2019s also a librarian. Leave your card. Return. Say \u2018Hi!\u201d …at Street Fairs, the County Fair, Parades! Attend their Town Halls and get on the list to speak\u2026about libraries, of course!<\/p>\n

9. Who is your representative’s ‘go-to’ legislative aide on your<\/em> issues?\u00a0<\/strong> Does your elected have a specific person who handles– Appropriations, Copyright, Education & School Libraries ,Government Information, Open Access, Privacy, Surveillance, and Cybersecurity, Telecommunications, or Workforce Innovation and Libraries? Introduce yourself! Call them on the phone, send them emails. You can offer them briefing papers or articles that will educate them and give them librarians\u2019 and your community\u2019s insights into these issues.<\/p>\n

10. Invite your \u2018electeds\u2019 in!<\/strong> To visit, to speak, to read aloud, to cut ribbons, to give out awards, to plant\/weed your community garden, to use the maker space \u2026 more! Build relationships based on respect and a shared commitment to the communities you both serve!<\/p>\n

Advocacy is a daily task, an essential task. a local task. You can do it!<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Barbara A Genco is long-time ALSC member who lives in Brooklyn NY. She has also been an elected member of the Kings County Democratic County Committee, an officer of a Reform Democratic Party Club, and a Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer for successful City Council and Borough President campaigns.\u00a0 BAGencoConsulting@gmail.com @BarbaraAGenco<\/em><\/p>\n

This post addresses the following ALSC Core Competencies:\u00a0V. Outreach and Advocacy and VII. Professionalism and Professional Development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Few of us have the opportunity to participate in ALA’s National Library Legislation Day\u2014but did you know that very best and most effective library and political advocacy is actually local? Here are a few simple \u201chow to\u2019s\u201d that will keep you in the know and build your knowledge and skills around advocacy… for national library legislation, for funding, and sensible Federal regulations that can have a powerful local impact. 1. Register to vote via your local Board of Elections. or by mail\u00a0. Though many folks prefer not registering for a specific party (they like their Independent voter status) being a party member does allow you to vote in party primaries. 2. Vote in every election you can. If you cannot vote in person\u2014be sure to secure an absentee ballot. (My Congresswoman in the NY–9 was primaried this year. I was able to vote before I left for NOLA!) BTW– Are…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":165,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[270,1604,1611,1613],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogger-advocacy-and-legislation-committee","category-competencies-for-librarians-serving-children-in-public-libraries","category-outreach-and-advocacy","category-professionalism-and-professional-development"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/165"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18749\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}