Convincing Voters to Fund Libraries — Online Workshop

Description

Convincing voters to approve $250 million for local libraries is rare—but Pasadena’s recent success shows it can be done. Pasadena Department of Libraries & Information Services Director Tim McDonald details how two major ballot measures secured funding: one established ongoing support for library services, and the other will allow the reopening of Pasadena’s iconic Central Library (closed since May 2021 for seismic upgrades).

Keys to success included: identifying and clearly communicating needs, anticipating challenges, collaborating with community groups, running distinct campaigns for each initiative, and developing a motivating “vocabulary of success.”

Learn to adapt Pasadena’s strategies to your own efforts in this free, highly-interactive, 90-minute online workshop, presented under the California Library Association’s Ursula Meyer Library Advocacy Training project.
Date: Wednesday, July 9, 2025  |  Time: 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. PT
Platform: Zoom

Goal & Objectives

By participating, you will learn how to develop and run ballot initiatives that fund libraries and library services in your community.

By the end of the session, you will be able to:

• Describe five key steps to leading a successful library ballot initiative.
• Cite three ways to confirm you have sufficient support before launching a campaign.
• Explain how to budget for your initiative, including the cost of hiring political consultants.
• Identify at least three resources to strengthen your ballot-campaign skills.

Presenters

Tim McDonald

Library Director, City of Pasadena (since June 2022). Oversees ten branches and 84 FTEs, serving 141,000 residents.

Robert Karatsu

Interim Executive Director, California Library Association; longtime Pasadena resident, former Pasadena Public Library Commissioner and current Pasadena Public Library Foundation member.

Paul Signorelli (Moderator/Facilitator)

San Francisco-based writer, trainer, consultant, and project manager for the CLA Ursula Meyer Library Advocacy Training project; co-host of the SJSU iSchool podcast “Information Gone Wild” and author of Change the World Using Social Media (2021).

About the Ursula Meyer Advocacy Fund Training Series

This monthly online series honors Ursula Meyer—CLA President 1977-78, California Library Hall of Fame inductee, and passionate advocate for library services and intellectual freedom. Sessions are typically held on the second Wednesday of each month at 10 a.m. PT (the September 2025 session meets on the third Wednesday).

Archived recordings: California Library Association YouTube channel

Support the series: Make a donation to the Ursula Meyer Fund