Thing 20: Advocacy

Exercise 1: Name three detrimental effects to a local community when a public library is closed.

1. Loss of a public community space, one that is open to all, free to all and somewhere where anyone can meet and participate within the community
2. Loss of free recreational and educational amenity, resources and services, including loss of library staff expertise
3. Impoverishment of the community in terms of free public services, facilities and spaces

Exercise 2: Find a Library Strategic Plan in Ireland or beyond for a library of any size.  Identify three ways in which the strategic plan also advocates for the Library Service.

New Public Library Strategy 2018-2022 [Ireland]: source : http://drcd.gov.ie/community/public-libraries/ (not published yet 14/4/18)

1. Advocating for investment in library infrastructure (buildings, mobile libraries and IT) and expanded services (Open Libraries) in the Library Capital Investment Programme for the period 2016-2021
2. Advocating for library impact on quality of life: "As a result of ongoing investment in the public library service, quality of life is being is being improved and new opportunities for education, life-long learning, leisure  and personal  development  have  been developed  through enhanced  multimedia  and ICT services."
3. Advocating for national public library development programmes: Right to Read literacy and reading programme; Work  Matters  programme  of  services  for  business  and employment; Healthy Ireland at Your Library initiative providing health information; Libraries Ireland www.librariesireland.ie national public library catalogue and nationwide delivery service –  the first such national service anywhere in the world

Exercise 3: Name three ways in which you can demonstrate the impact and value of the library service that you work in or use.

1. Highlight services, achievements and positive feedback in social media
2. Report positively on library activities in monthly and annual reports
3. Gather useful, convincing quantitative and qualitative data and images that demonstrate impact and value to present informally to stakeholders (councillors, directors, members of the public, press etc.) and formally in reports.

Exercise 4: Identify three key people (name their role) outside of the library in the wider organisation/community that you need to network with in order to advance the development of the Library Service.

1. Within County Council, outside libraries: Municipal District Manager, Director of Services, Chief Executive, Councillors
2. Local Media: newspapers editor / journalists / photographers and local websites and prominent local social media sites
3. Local Education stakeholders - school principals, teachers, tutors, parents associations in preschool, primary, secondary , post leaving certificate, adult education, WWETB, training organisations etc.
4. Local community organisations (Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise Centre, Tidy Towns, Active Retired / Retired Teachers, Mens Sheds, Parish/Church based communities etc.)

Exercise 5: Write down in 200 words or less an idea for Library Ireland Week for a library you work in.

Wexford public libraries run a yearly Summer Reading Challenge for children. It encourages all young readers, particularly focusing on reluctant readers, to read minimum 6 books. I ran a Club Leabhar Gaeilge previously, and noticed the improvement in confidence after reaching the milestone of reading 6 books proving you can read and enjoy it.

I’d like to establish a 6 book challenge for adults.

I’d offer this to refugees to improve their English language skills and cultural understanding, and local people who are non readers or reluctant readers or not active library members. Gorey Library shares a building with the Gorey Municipal District offices. At weekly housing clinics, people wait in the foyer outside the library. A newly installed ticketing queuing system will display in the library. People can wait in the library, hopefully join the library, and use library services (public internet PCs or wifi, read newspapers, magazines, books in paper or electronic versions). They could join the 6-book challenge, and potentially pair up with refugees. I need to consider how to do this sensitively and how it might be received by both parties. It is an opportunity for mutual learning and understanding beyond literacy.

Examples :  https://www.readingagency.org.uk/tag/six-book-challenge/

Exercise 6: In your opinion what are the three best features of the My Library, My Right Campaign and why?

1. It highlights the statutory obligations of local authorities to provide library services
2. It highlights the public's legal entitlement to receive library services
3. It encourages the public to proactively pursue their entitlements to good modern library services

Exercise 7: In 200 words or less, describe a new area of librarianship that you are passionate about. How would you go about promoting it within the library that you work in and/or the wider library profession?

Data Analysis and Insight may not be considered a ‘new area of librarianship’, but it is definitely a new and expanding field of information studies.

Libraries hold an enormous amount of data, on our users, their reading habits, our library stock and its usage. However, in the public library I work in, this data is only utilised in the most minimal way to count the number of users, the number of books issued, and the total book stock of the library.

Greater analysis of this data could lead to more efficient purchasing and spending, better stock management, circulation and weeding, better understanding of the reading profiles and preferences of readers, which in turn would feed into more targeted purchasing strategies. It could also highlight gaps in the demographics of users, even looking at reader lifecycle data to identify when we potentially lose readers, and develop strategies and services to try to avoid this fall-off.

I would look at software in the market (e.g Infor v-insight), search international library associations and libraries for information on existing systems, talk to IT librarians about the current capabilities of the national LMS that are being used/underutilised, identify the gaps and areas for potential. Present a proposal for useful data analysis and insight, with costs and benefits to my county librarian, and potentially present it in a poster or talk at a library conference.

Exercise 8: Choose an area of library practice that you feels requires debate.

Dealing with antisocial behaviour in libraries, abuse of library buildings, equipment and stock, violence and aggression toward library staff requires debate. In our focus on customer service and our effort to retain and attract new membership and present a positive image, we may risk air-brushing this issue out of the picture and under the carpet. Public libraries are a reflection of society, and as such the reflection can be negative as well as positive. Neither scaremongering and exaggerating nor ignoring will resolve this issue.

Exercise 9: Open up the ALA Frontline Advocacy Plan. Complete the plan for a real advocacy campaign. Source: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/advocacyuniversity/frontline_advocacy/frontline_public/goingdeeper/yourplan

ALA Frontline Advocacy Plan
1.    What is your goal? (What are you trying to accomplish?)
I want Gorey Library to be used by everybody in the Gorey catchment area, in particular every child.

2.    What are your objectives? (Why is it important?)
I want every school child to have a library card and to be an active library user. This is important because it gives them a personal relationship with reading, learning and information that is outside the discipline of the school, so it starts a lifetime habit that is personal to them, based on their own interests and enjoyment.

3.    What are your strategies? (the activities you’ll do to accomplish your goal)
Contact every pre-school, primary school and secondary school in the area personally, arrange library visits with each class, but if they do not accept the invitation to visit the library, then go out to meet them in their school. Invite them to join the library. Prepare a brochure and joining pack outlining the benefits of library use and reading to give to each child to take home to their parents.

4.    What is your message? (15 words or less)

Give children the gift of starting a lifelong journey enjoying books, reading and learning.

5.    What data (or stories) support this message?
“Poor literacy … limits a person’s ability to engage in activities that require either critical thinking or a solid base of literacy and numeracy skills.”
https://worldliteracyfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/WLF-FINAL-ECONOMIC-REPORT.pdf
“The Right to Read Campaign looks to complement and support existing programmes and initiatives including Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) and early childhood strategies, providing continuity and reinforcement outside of formal education, supporting children, parents and adults with low levels of literacy.” Source: http://www.librariesireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Right-to-Read-Campaign.pdf
“Libraries and librarians are an important resource in supporting children’s literacy. Through the expert selection and provision of a wide range of books and other materials, libraries can both support the acquisition of literacy skills and help foster children’s love of reading amongst children. … the forging of strong links with local public library services will be an important facet of the literacy and numeracy plans of schools. Public libraries enable families to support their children’s literacy development through the range of resources and information they make available in a free, open and informal setting. While libraries are an excellent resource for all families, they can be of particular assistance to families who find it difficult to meet the cost of providing a rich range of books and educational resources in the home.”
Source: The Department of Education and Skills’ National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy, Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life: the national strategy to improve literacy and numeracy among children and young people 2011-2020
https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Policy-Reports/lit_num_strategy_full.pdf

6.    Who is your target audience?

Children, Parents, Grandparents, Childminders, Teachers, Principals

7.    Why should they care?

Because of the benefits that the children will gain from active library membership, and enjoyment of reading and improved literacy and general knowledge over their course of their lives. Also active library use will help education professionals to achieve their educational and social goals for their pupils.

8.    How are you going to reach them? What will be your best tools?

Phone calls, personal contact, school visits, library visits, e-mail newsletters to school principals and teachers, e-mail newsletters to parents, texts to parents, social media (Facebook & Twitter) & traditional media (local newspaper, radio & parish newsletters) reports of fun library events, author visits, summer reading challenge, book reviews


ENDS