PowerPoint Presentation

Using Technology to Advocate for your LibraryAdvocacy is importantDoes anyone in this room feel like they have as much funding as they need?

We need to advocate:Who?Legislature, city and county governments, our larger organizations, our patrons, etc.What?Funding, budgets, staffing, soap, office supplies, toilet paper.When?All the time!But be careful: remember to be legal and ethical.Why?Because libraries are important.Where?At work and outside of work.But be careful: remember to be legal and ethical.

I advocate: lazinessTechnology can help minimize effort and maximize results.Simple ways:Share the effort its just like MARC records and cataloging!Sharing information online can be easy (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.), but if it doesnt come naturally, there are other ways. (Or get a volunteer to handle social networking.)Focus on your strengths.Dont forget in-person and non-technology based strategies.Elevator speech, personal connections, library visits etc.Specific StrategiesBe informed!How-to information is easy to find:Connecting with Your Legislators: A Guide for New Mexico LibrariesAdvice from WisconsinBonds for LibrariesFind Your LegislatorsFind Your Whole ZIP CodeTrack BillsCollecting StoriesFree online surveysNot the best for statisticsGood for collecting storiesTwo options:Surveymonkey have to pay for fancy optionsSample survey using SurveymonkyGoogle docs make a formSample survey using Google docsUse your ILSSurveys arent good for collecting numbers, and reference desk statistics can be ambiguous and hard to compile.We all (mostly) have access to lots and lots of numbers.Pick impressive ones your system will generate easily.Use conferences and listservs to find out from other librarians what works in your ILS.Suggestions:Circulation statistics, per day/week/month/year.Pick a popular title and see how many times it circulated in a period of timeAge of collection, to show that you need the money especially in fast-changing areas like math, science, medicine, or law.Templates, Templates, TemplatesAsk your fellow librarians if you can modify theirs.Some things (technically not templates) dont even need to be modified:If the GO Bond makes it on the ballot, youll be able to find promotional materials here: Bonds for Libraries.A fact sheet about how school libraries benefit from GO Bond funding.These are templates, and you can modify them:Fact sheet for school librariesFact sheet for public librariesBookmark (one-sided)

ConclusionAdvocacy is important.It doesnt have to consume your life.If everyone does a little bit, we can keep libraries visible.Questions? Comments? Great Ideas to Share?LinksAdvocacy: legal and ethical issues: http://bondsforlibraries.nmla.org/advocacy-is-it-legal-ethical/South Central Library System (WI) Online Advocacy Toolkit: http://www.scls.info/pr/advocacy/Bonds for Libraries (NM): http://bondsforlibraries.org/Find your NM Legislator: http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/legislatorsearch.aspxFind your complete zip code:https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.actionFind and track NM bills: http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/BillFinder.aspxSample surveymonkey survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/523WW6PSample google docs survey: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHlXdElzbVRsYk9PLWM4TjBwa2FHUGc6MQConnecting with your Legislators Guide: http://nmla.org/docs/Connecting.pdf