Library Advocacy Tips
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by Billie Frierson, UCLA/PRAXIS Pre-Doctoral Student
Library advocacy does not begin nor end on one day - CLA's Legislative Day and Day in the District are important networking opportunities for library advocates. But library advocacy is needed through out the year. Here are some tips from my experience:
- Get to know your legislator.
- Send your legislator an announcement flyer on an event or program that has happened in your library or will happened in the future.
- Invite your legislator to your library to award certificates for summer or year round reading programs.
- Invite your legislator to an annual event that your library has already proven to be widely attended and appreciated by your community.
- Acknowledge your legislator by mail (twice per year). Suggest sending an update of service hours, programs and services the library offers at the beginning of the year and a flyer on summer events that encourage reading and use of the library.
- Read the newsletters sent from your legislators. Send a note of thanks on a newsletter item that was of interest to you and/or the community you serve. Send a list of libraries in the legislator's district.
- Identify programs or events your legislator sponsors or attends annually. Be there in support and/or participate by providing library literature such as service hours bookmarks, program flyers and a list of new arrivals or genre materials in your collections.
- If you have placed publicity information in the local newspaper about your programs, send a copy to the legislator.
- Attend City Council, Town Council and Coordinating Council events as appropriate. Be prepared to state several positive areas in which the library is serving the community.
- You know the library success stories. You know how library service is increasing. You know how many new and continued borrowers are received daily. Be prepared to share a memorable story on how the library makes a difference to the communities in your legislators' district.

