Description: 

Libraries that can most effectively communicate their value to the community are less likely to lose funding and are more likely to have the support of local politicians and voters. In this presentation, PC Sweeney will discuss some of the most effective strategies behind creating effective messages that engage the public and encourage action. These are the strategies used by some of the most successful political causes and initiatives. In this webinar, we'll discuss using the PAS (Problem-Agitation-Solution) structure for messages, the benefits of 27-9-3 messages, and how to create messages in the face of opposition. We'll also look at how to distribute and target messages to the right people.

Session Facilitator: 

Patrick “PC” Sweeney

Patrick “PC” Sweeney is a graduate of the San Jose School of Library and Information Sciences and former Administrative Librarian of the Sunnyvale (CA) Public Library. He was Executive Director of EveryLibrary California, a statewide initiative to support library propositions. He is co-author of “Winning Elections and Influencing Politicians for Library Funding” as well as “Before the Ballot; Building Support for Library Funding.” He was recently recognized with a “40 Under 40” award by the American Association of Political Consultants for his work fighting for libraries at EveryLibrary. He is a lecturer at the San Jose Information School where he teaches courses on politics and libraries. He is active across social media as PC Sweeney.

About the Ursula Meyer Advocacy Fund Training Series

This program is part of an ongoing series of monthly online sessions offered through the Ursula Meyer Advocacy Fund Training Series; sessions are generally held online on the second Wednesday of each month, beginning at 10 am PT. The series honors the memory of Ursula Meyer, 1977-78 CLA President, California Library Hall of Fame inductee, longtime director of the Stockton-San Joaquin Public Library, and fierce advocate for library services and intellectual freedom. The Ursula Meyer Fund was established to provide for the training of librarians in all stages of their careers, and library supporters, in political advocacy and political action, in honor of Ursula’s belief that librarians need effective political skills to advocate for library support at all levels of government.