Library advocates believe in the importance of free and equitable access to information in a democratic society. Library advocates speak out for libraries. Library advocates are everywhere although they don't always call themselves that. - ALA Library Advocate's Handbook.
They are: Library Trustees, Friends of Libraries, library users, institutional and community leaders, librarians and library staff, and potential advocates. The following sources provide information about library advocacy and ways in which to become involved.
Ten Steps to Becoming an Effective AdvocateMassachusetts Friends of Libraries, Inc. (MFOL)
The Massachusetts Friends of Libraries,
Inc. is committed to serving all of the state's libraries.
www.masslib.org/mfol
Friends of Libraries
U.S.A.
The mission of Friends
of Libraries U.S.A. is to motivate and support local Friends groups across the
country in their efforts to preserve and strengthen libraries.
www.folusa.com
American
Library Association
ALA provides information for getting informed
about and involved with advocacy. The Library Advocate's Handbook
and A Library Advocate's Guide to Building Information Literate Communities
are among many support materials available for downloading at no cost.
Both in PDF format.
http://www.ala.org/ala/issues/issuesadvocacy.htm
American Association of School Librarians (AASL)
AASL has compiled a collection of ready-to-use tools,
the AASL Advocacy Toolkit,
to conduct an advocacy campaign--large or small-for school library media programs.
http://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy
Association for Library Trustees and Advocates
(ALTA)
ALTA is dedicated to promoting and ensuring
outstanding library service through educational programs that develop excellence
in trusteeship and actions that advocate access to information for all.
http://www.ala.org/alta
Library Advocacy: Influencing Decision Makers. A brochure prepared by the Illinois Library Association that aims to support library advocates in representing libraries and the public interest at all levels of decision-making and in enlisting the support of legislators who will champion the cause.
www.ila.org/advocacy/advocacy.htm
Telling Your Story: A Guide to Preparing Advocacy Case Studies
http://www.advocacy.org/publications/pdf/tellingyourstory.pdf
Massachusetts Friends of Libraries
This e-mailing list will be used to distribute updates on state and occasionally federal legislative issues dealing with libraries.
To sign up, go to http://www.masslib.org/mfol/mfol-form.htm.
Idea-sharing, updates and legislative alerts of special interest to library advocates.
To subscribe, send email message to:
listproc@ala.org. Leave the subject line blank.
In the body of the message, type: subscribe aladnow
your first name your last name.