When I first contacted YALSA about participating in NLLD 2015, I framed my interest as a novice, mentee and student wanting to learn more about advocacy and successful advocacy strategies for my specific community. I am a new school librarian and NLLD beamed opportunity, inspiration, information and networking, of course!
I was excited and anticipated experiencing the more political side of libraries, remember, I was a novice and prepared to act as a sponge, absorbing everything I heard and saw, taking cue from the leaders in my group, one of the flock. However, after contacting my local library association, Louisiana Library Association, I discovered that no representatives were attending this year. I wasn’t sure what that meant for me and figured everything would be taken care of, remember I was a mentee and prepared to be guided by much more experienced and confident librarians. But then my role swifty changed, I became the leader, charged with scheduling appointments with legislators and being prepared to represent, if not lead, the interests and voices of libraries, librarians and the people they serve in Louisiana. Inexperienced as I was, the thought of leading, was a harrowing, humbling (maybe a bit dramatic) but, nonetheless, exhilarating feeling.
On Friday May 1st, I left Louisiana to go to the capital. I knew where I was suppose to be and what time, appointments were scheduled and I had several extremely helpful guides along the way especially Beth Yoke assuring me that everything would be OK.
I was also lucky enough to have the weekend to explore the city. There was an overwhelming feeling of greatness, magnitude and it wasn't in the larger than life buildings, statues or museums, it was just apparent walking the streets or taking the metro. Important things had happened here, important things continue to happen here and it felt good to be near that.
Monday, May 4th, the official NLLD, I entered the Liaison Hotel and was greeted as my state's coordinator, meaning I was in charge of organizing my fellow Louisianians and holding my state sign. The Nebraskans took me under their wing and treated me as their own, a gesture I am very thankful for, I didn’t have to sit alone!
The day continued with several different issue sessions, my favorite and most notable being appropriations committee, USA Freedom Act, Taxable Research and the session dedicated to school library and education issues. The speakers were knowledgeable and gave tips and language to easily incorporate into our pitches. Walking away that evening, I felt more informed about US policy, than I have to admit, in my life and, not because I just hadn’t bothered with politics and policy in the past, but because the info. sessions and speakers made it easy to understand. I didn’t feel as if everything was over my head or too intricate to bother with, the information was clear about what these issues were and it was clear exactly how I could use this knowledge to relate to Louisiana interests and the legislators I would be meeting the following day.
The day of, I was a bit frantic, I had spent the morning researching specific Louisiana numbers and data and I had left early because, even though I had been walking around the capital for 72 hours now, I still found myself circling around the same block once in awhile. My first appointment was with Kevin O’Keefe representing new House member, Garret Graves. As soon as I met Kevin, I felt at ease. Many people warned me that these meetings would be very one sided, you say what you need to and then that’s it! However, meeting with Kevin felt like a conversation, I hit all my points but he was very responsive and added to what I was saying, it helped we were both from Baton Rouge! He was also very keen on a visit from Garret Graves to either my school library or the public library. Once the meeting concluded, I practically skipped out of the Canon building with a toothy smile on my face.
It really felt exhilerating! I was no longer nervous for my next two meetings, I was now excitedly anticipating them. During these meetings it dawned on me that politicians and the people that work for them don’t necessarily know about every current issue, at least not in depth, they needed and wanted to be informed about the best way to continue forward on a specific issue. They also cared about what their constituents cared about. While visiting Senator Bill Cassidy’s office, I spoke with Pamela Davidson and she talked about how many calls their office had been getting about maintaining and increasing the library budget, the enthusiasm and relentlessness put that issue on the radar as something that could not be ignored.
After meeting my state’s representatives, I will be watching the Louisiana legislators closely, who knows if they will make the changes I suggested but at least they are now informed and that was my job, I did it!
However, it is inspiring to see positive changes being made such as the overwhelming approval for the USA Freedom Act. It shows that even through all the muck, at times, good changes squeeze through.
While visiting the Holocaust Memorial Museum in D.C., I came across this very well known quote from Martin Niemöller, a prominent Protestant pastor during WWII:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Niemöller’s quote seemed particularly fitting because advocacy is a lot about just speaking up and taking the time and courage to do something so simple as raising our voices. We remind our students constantly at Baton Rouge International School that one person makes all the difference, everyone can make a change but sometimes we forget that the scariest part is just starting, putting yourself out there and wondering if people will like your message, like your voice. The biggest thing I took away from this experience was how EASY advocating for libraries was. How easy to talk to people about what you care about, how easy to be and stay informed and how easy it was to connect and how easy it is to continue advocating for more. It took a big moment for me to start advocating but now I know it can easily be a part of my life and work and that small actions such as a telephone call, an email or showing up at a local council or board meeting can make an impact and change the way people perceive libraries and the people who spend time and lives promoting them.
Jenna Jaureguy is starting her third year as school librarian at Baton Rouge International School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She studied school and teen library services at UCLA and graduated with her MLIS in 2013.
“What? I need to do what? But what does that mean?” These are exactly the words that flashed through my mind when I attended my first annual conference and heard a keynote speaker say, “It is our responsibility to advocate for our students, our programs and our profession.” After what I consider a compulsory moment of internal panic, [inside voice: I have a new responsibility. No one told me about it. I don’t even know how! This did not happen in library school. What?] I began to calm myself. [It is a brand new day and I can do this, I think. Ok, but first, I will read the new Neal Shusterman book.]
Now, several years later, as I stare at the four stools behind my circulation desk and feel their lonely state, I now understand that is is my responsibility to advocate for my students, my program, and my profession.
AASL provides the best definition:
Advocacy is the ongoing process of building partnerships so that others will act for and with you, turning passive support into educated action for the library program.
WHY ADVOCATE
When we advocate, we are building partnerships and educating others to act on behalf of our students and programs. I don’t know about you, but I can always use the extra help. Part of being effective is seeking the resources needed for your program. If you want help, you must ask. (It is not WWII, the volunteer generation has left the building.) Trust me, relying on the collective memories of library experiences from your stakeholders to drive them to act is a bad idea. You must share your vision in order to offer opportunities for investment.
WHAT I CAN DO NOW
- STAY POSITIVE. No one likes to hear about the downfall of the library or your fear about losing your job or your program. This is negative branding and you let them know you are expendable. Worse, no one is comfortable, so they avoid the media center. Post your positive message where you can see it every day, the message you will share when others ask how are things are going.
Exa. “Hey, did you know the new Florida Teens Read List was just announced. So many of the books look so good! I can’t wait to read them.”
Exa. “I am just arranging the new college and career section! Isn’t it great!”
Exa. “Oh, these kids are keeping me busy, busy, busy!”
- COLLABORATE. Stop acting like it is somebody else’s job to come find you to seek your collaboration. Email, visit, call. What they get comfortable with, they will seek out. Make teachers comfortable with your assistance.
Exa. “Oh, Mrs. Teacher, what are you working on now with your students? I would love to share some ideas with you.”
- SHARE. With students and staff--Use a bulletin board in the media center to share information and another one on campus. With parents--Place information from your program in the school’s newsletter. If you don’t have a page on your school’s website, ask for one. With the entire community--Make your own media center website. Develop your use of Twitter and use a unique hashtag for messages from your program.
- GIVE GOOD PROGRAMS. Good library programs grow programs. Good programs encourage us all to be excited about visiting the library or media center.
- LEARN. Participate in webinars. Attend conference. Learn from more experienced professionals about their successful library efforts.
WHAT I CAN DO SIX MONTHS FROM NOW
- TAKE YOUR POSITIVITY TO THE NEXT LEVEL. Share it with others. Join a professional association and find ways to connect with other media specialist and librarians.
- PLAN NEW COLLABORATIONS. Find ways that your programs can add value to what is already happening in your school or community. Exa. Blood drive and book fair or blood drive and fine forgiveness program.
- SHARE MORE. Shout out to your helpers, mentors, sponsors, and contributors in your email, your newsletter, your local newspaper, on your website, and on Twitter and Facebook.
- PLAN AND GIVE ONE OR TWO EPIC PROGRAMS PER YEAR. Author visit, local official acts as librarian for a day, book fairs, comic con, Dia de los Muertos, etc. Let your community interests be your guide.
- LEARN WHAT WORKS. Track your attendance and usage connected with programs. Do more of what works in your community.
WHAT I CAN DO A YEAR FROM NOW
- POSITIVITY FOR ALL. Write an article about something you do. Present at a conference or meeting. Speak with lawmakers about your programs and what they do for the community.
- FIND COMMUNITY PARTNERS. From ladies club to sewing club to car club, there is a club out there that wants to be involved with your patrons. Find them and let them in.
- SHARE THE RESULTS. Pictures are the only evidence that matters in the community. Make picture taking a part of every program, activity, and event.
- LEARN FROM YOUR PROGRAMMING. What doesn’t work does not often have to be tossed. Survey your patrons. Maybe your just missing one small element that can change the focus.
- LEARN something new that inspires you! Only the inspired continue to be creative and we are in the business of creativity. You don’t have to jump on every band wagon, but an occasional “ride around the park” can add a fresh perspective.
BONUS ROUND
- Share what you do and how it affects your community by advocating for libraries and the profession on National Legislative Library Days in Washington or Legislative Days in your state.
“Oh, the things that you can do…”
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Vandy Pacetti-Donelson is a Library Media Specialist. She is a library advocate and board member for the Florida Association for Media in Education (FAME). Find her online at www.eliterateandlevelingup.com or follow her on Twitter @VandyPD.
Has it crossed your radar yet that there's been a big shift in how laws are getting made? Last year state legislatures around the country passed 45,564 bills, compared with just 352 passed in Congress. That works out to an average of 911 bills per state. This change in the way laws are getting made means that we need to change the way we advocate for teens and libraries. Spring is the time of year when many state legislatures are in session. What can you (or your teen patrons) do to call their attention to the importance of libraries? YALSA has the answer! We have everything you need to reach out to your state legislators and ask them if they will sponsor a resolution in support of libraries. A resolution is not legislation or a bill--just a feel good message about libraries. Both Congress and state legislatures pass these types of warm fuzzies all of the time in an effort to make nice with the voters. YALSA has a few sample documents compiled into one file that you can adapt and use, including a sample resolution, emails and a press release. Access the MS Word file today for an easy way to raise awareness about libraries with the elected officials in your state!
If you want to learn more about what's going on at your state legislature, check out The 50 State Project, and find out what's happening with library related-legislation and/or get in touch with your state legislators by visiting http://cqrcengage.com/ala/chapters. And don't forget that National Library Legislative Day is May 5th! If you can't make it to Washington DC, ALA has several ways that you can participate virtually. Lastly, there are a bunch of advocacy resources on the YALSA web site at ala.org/yalsa/advocacy that you can use year round to advocate for teens and libraries.
-Beth Yoke
If you could not attend National Library Legislative Day in person, ALA provided ample opportunity to participate virtually.
The ALA Washington Office Twitter feed (@ala_wo) is an informative resource year-round, but their tweet-by-tweet coverage of the day was an excellent way to track the action. Many advocating librarians took the time to Tweet their activities in between meetings using the #NLLD hashtag. It was truly heartening to see so many librarians on the frontlines.
Those who could not meet their legislators in person still had (and have) the opportunity to communicate their concerns. YALSA’s Tweet Your Senator Map is a quick and easy way for those with a Twitter account to connect with their senators regarding library issues. The Map saw a lot of use over the days. The Legislative Action Center is an excellent clearinghouse for understanding legislation impacting libraries and how to communicate with legislators. Though the official day has passed, advocating for libraries is a year-round endeavor.
If you are considering attending next year’s Library Legislative Day from May 6-7, check out this informative piece on NLLD in American Libraries Magazine to get a clearer picture of the experience. And take a minute to browse the ALA Washington Office flickr account to see the action for yourself and hopefully get pumped to advocate.
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Monthly President’s Report – April 2012
April was a very interesting month for me on the YALSA front. I’m just back from a week in Washington, D.C. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of last week, YALSA Executive Director Beth Yoke and I, along with several hundred other library supporters, attended National Library Legislative Day. Beth and I had eight separate meetings over two days, with legislators’ staff members, and with representatives from other organizations that have similar interests to YALSA, such as the Afterschool Alliance, the Center for Excellent Education, and the International Reading Association. We talked about how we could support one another’s missions.
Then on Friday and Saturday of the same week, I staffed the YALSA booth at the USA Science and Engineering Festival at the Washington Convention Center. Along with DC-area YALSA members, I handed out bookmarks and flyers, showed the demo of the YALSA Teen Book Finder App (available in May—we hope—from Apple’s App Store), chatted with teens, parents, teachers, and librarians, and did some on-the-fly readers’ advisory. We encouraged teens to participate in this year’s Teens’ Top Ten, and there was a lot of interest and enthusiasm.
Below is a summary of activities that I have completed or am working on.
Committees
- Committee Chairs:
- I had phone conversations with several YALSA committee chairs about the work of their committees.
- Committee/Jury/Taskforce Appointments:
- I appointed members to fill vacancies on several committees.
- I continued appointing members to fill new task forces created by Board action at Midwinter
Board Activities
- I participated, with other Board members, in an online chat about recruiting and engaging members.
- I worked with Board members on their self-assessments.
- I worked with Executive Committee members to create an agenda for the Spring Executive Conference Call, to be held on Thursday, May 3.
- Board members, for National Volunteer Week, wrote thank-you notes to YALSA committee members.
Partnerships.
- Mary Fellows, ALSC President, and I, along with our Presidents’ Program co-chairs, have been making final arrangements for our combined Presidents’ Program at ALA Annual. I hope many of you will be able to join us bright and early Monday morning to hear Dr. Michelle Poris of SmartyPants and Stephen Abram of GaleCengage share their insights on the Digital Lives of Tweens and Young Teens.
- I continue to participate in the School Libraries Task Force with members of other ALA divisions.
Writing.
Media & Outreach.
- Spoke with Jeff Rivera, for Entertainment Weekly, about trends in YA literature.
- Spoke with Carlie Geisinger, of the Gilroy (CA) Dispatch about teen spaces and the value of having teen rooms in libraries. The occasion of the article was the opening of a new library building in a community that had never had a separate teen room.
- For National Volunteer Week,
It’s National Library Legislative Day! Today, library supporters across the United States are participating virtually by contacting their representatives to encourage them to support libraries. YALSA has created the Tweet Your U.S. Senator Map to simplify the process for you. Two clicks, and you’re a library advocate. Here’s how to do it:
- Visit the Google Map (below or at this link). Make sure you’re logged into Twitter through your web browser.
- Click the Tweet Me button on your senators.
- A message automatically generates, encouraging your senator to fund LSTA and the Innovative Approaches to Literacy Act with the #nlld hashtag. All you have to do is click “Tweet.”
It’s that simple. Share the map and advocate for libraries today!
View YALSA Tweet Your US Senator Map in a larger map
On Friday May 1st, I left Louisiana to go to the capital. I knew where I was suppose to be and what time, appointments were scheduled and I had several extremely helpful guides along the way especially Beth Yoke assuring me that everything would be OK.
