Local Library Advocacy Charlie Parker & Deborah Hohler

Welcome Florida Library Advocates! You are the Florida libraries’ first responders and heroes! You are the ones who rush into the blazing budget fires to save your libraries! Thank you!

Good Afternoon Florida Library Advocates! Here’s our plan for strengthening our local advocacy skills… we’ll focus on…  Relationship building  Advocacy Planning  Our message – Establishing the library value in community’s mind … & relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships

Relationships!  It’s easy – be commissioners’ friends!  Look for connections! – Friends? Family? Positive library experiences?  Do you have shared interests?  Nurture the relationship over time…

Critical Relationships… Library Director  Advocacy Planning - Directors & advocates must be on the same page  Leader – Sets service goals & priorities, provide advocacy tools – plans & statistics  Strong Director / advocate relationships critical for success!

Critical Relationships… County / City Administrator  Meet with them & discuss advocacy plans  Favorable budget recommendation is priceless  Show them how library supports community goals  Show them how it supports their priorities

Critical Relationships… Commissioners  Who are the library champions?  How do we win all of them over?  How does the library support community goals?  How does it support their priorities?

Critical Relationships… Partners  Schools, Chamber, county departments & gov. agencies  Influentials – those Commissioners can’t say no to  Media – key to success is how well the community understands the library’s value

Planning - Local Gov. Budget Calendar  Oct. - New fiscal year  Jan. - March - Departments develop plans  Feb – Budget targets & guidelines provided  March – April – Departments submit budgets  April – June – BCC Budget Workshops  July 1 – Proposed budgets submitted  Aug. – Sept. - Public hearings & adoption

Advocates’ Planning Calendar  Fall – Relationship building - visit them, invite them to library, & thank them for funding  Winter – Building the foundation – establishing the value…  Spring – Making the ask – supporting the library budget request – focus on administrator  Summer – Making the ask – focus on commissioners

Plan!  What do you want? What are library’s goals?  How do you get it? List what you need to do & make a calendar.  Prepare – Get your rationale on paper. Why should they do what you’re asking?  Don’t forget to follow the plan!

Basic Plan – Adapted from Broward FOL… Meet with the Library Director to determine Library goals for coming year. Meet with City/County Administrator to reach agreement about library support efforts, earn what might be feasible, and establish a relationship. Meet with each District City/County Commission as needed throughout the year to establish a working relationship in support of Library’s services. Create a Team including FOL President, FOL Advocacy Chair, Foundation Director, Representatives from Friends groups in each Commissioner’s District, so they meet directly with their constituents

Basic Plan – adapted from Broward …continued Meet with State Legislative Delegation prior to attending Library Day in Tallahassee. Support library issues in local State Legislative Delegation Public Hearings Develop Marketing Plan to gain public support for advocacy efforts, inc.: – Hold meetings to get public input regarding library services – Write “Letters to the Editor” – Purchase advertisements – Build advocate network with lists & social networking – Distribute information to the public supporting library services and solicit their communicating their need for Library services. Attend Library Days in Tallahassee. Attend local Budget Workshops and Public Hearings and support library’s budget.

Message - Why Do Public & Legislators Love Libraries?  Library Services transform lives!  Public uses libraries heavily!  Personal stories – give it human face!  Good stewards of public funds!  Library advocates are positive & don’t complain!  People like to associate with winning causes & libraries are winners!

What’s Your Message? –Connect Your Passion With Theirs!  Policy maker - “Tell me why I care”  … help them connect libraries with their passions  We’re most persuasive when talking about what we care about deeply  Libraries do sooo many valuable things - we can’t mention them all  Be positive – everyone likes to be part of a successful winning effort!

Message - Libraries Transform Lives!  Use your library’s statistics!  Books! Books! Books!  Popular ebooks make libraries cool!  Help people get jobs!  Help public get e- government services!  Provide public with technology!  Help pre-schoolers learn!  Help students!  Help public with 21 st Century Skills!  Provide tech training!  Provide teens safe spaces to learn & socialize!  Gathering place!  Reading is good!  Teach parents to be child’s first teacher!  Early voting sites!  …did I mention the library’s statistics?

Message -Make Statistics Come Alive Example! Citrus County Residents… – over 96,000, or 68% of residents have library cards! – checked out over 732,00 or 5.2 items each! – visited their libraries over 622,000 times or 4.42 time each! – used library computers over 219,915 times! – over 1,800 received computer training! – over 28,900 adults attended library programs! Citrus County children and teens… – checked out over 124,000 items! – attended over 30,000 programs Cost? - $21.79 per capita, compared to $27.88 state & $36.18 national averages (2010) Florida Division of Library and Information Services

Sarasota Shows Impact!

Message Example… It’s important for the future of Citrus County that the County Commission approve the library request for additional staff. – Staff will help the public with job searching – And will conduct programs for very young children which will help prepare them for success in school

You’ve got backup!  Faye Roberts, FLA Executive Director  FLA Legislative Committee  Chris Lyon, FLA Lobbyist  Judi Ring, State Librarian & State Library staff  Sec. of State Ken Detzner & DOS Leg. Affairs Coordinator

Questions?

Thank You! Good luck with your Library Advocacy! The vitality of Florida Public Libraries depends on you!